HISTORY  OP  KANSAS  STATE 

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1/ 


REV.  JOSEPH  DENISON.  D.  D. 


President  of  Bluemont  College  and  First  President  of  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College. 


HISTORY 


Ol1   THE 


Kansas  State  Agricultural  College 


BY 


Dr.  J.  D.  Walters 

Professor  op  Architecture  and  Drawing  in  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College 


1909 


PRINTED  BY 

PRINTING  DEPARTMENT  OE  THE 

KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


I  am  telling  my  friends  in  Massachusetts  a  very  bitter  thing:  I  have 
become  bolder  and  bolder  in  saying  that  I  am  under  the  impression  that  the 
whole  system  of  popular  education  is  superannuated;  that  what  is  taught  is 
no  longer  the  food  that  the  rising  generations  most  want;  and  that  the  very 
knowledge  that  is  taught  is  not  the  best.  I  would  change  both  its  substance 
and  the  methods.— Louis  Agassiz. 


Foreword. 

It  will  soon  be  half  a  century  since  the  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College  was  founded  and  located.  For  a  new  State,  and  one 
that  made  history  as  fast  as  the  trans- Missourian  countries  did, 
this  is  a  long  period.  Many  of  the  men  to  whose  efforts  the  peo- 
ple of  Kansas  owe  this  magnificent  institution  of  learning  —  the 
largest  school  of  its  kind  in  America — have  left  to  conquer  other 
territories,  some  have  followed  more  remunerative  callings  than 
that  of  the  educator,  and  many  have  died.  The  semi-centennial 
now  close  at  hand  will  find  but  few  of  the  pioneers  in  health  and 
vigor.  If  a  history  including  the  valuable  element  of  personal 
recollection  was  to  be  written,  the  work  could  not  be  deferred 
much  longer. 

This  volume  is  really  a  fifth  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  an 
historic  monograph  originally  written  by  the  author  for  the  Riley 
County  Map  Book,  published  in  1881.  The  second  sketch  was 
written  for  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education  in  1890.  The  third  was 
published  as  a  76-page  pamphlet,  entitled  "Columbian  History  of 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,"  of  which  a  special  edition 
of  4000  copies  was  distributed  at  the .  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago  in  1893,  and  the  fourth  appeared  as  a  contribution  to 
volume  VII  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Kansas  State  Historical 
Society.  Each  succeeding  effort  meant  a  considerable  increase  in 
pages  and  a  more  complete  and  correct  representation  of  the 
facts. 

These  historic  sketches  were  read  by  many  who  "had  been 
there,"  and  there  were  all  kinds  of  comments.  The  author  ex- 
pects that  there  will  be  exceptions  to  some  of  the  statements  in 
this  volume,  but,  whatever  the  criticisms  may  be,  he  can  say  that 
he  has  told  the  story  as  he  saw  it,  that  he  has  tried  to  be  clear 
and  concise,  and  that  he  has  verified  uncertain  data  by  comparing 
them  with  the  publications  and  archives  of  the  College,  the  files  of 
the  newspapers  of  Manhattan,  and  the  collections  of  the  Kansas 
State  Historical  Society. 


6  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

Considerable  space  has  been  reserved  for  chronological  tables 
and  law  quotations.  It  is  hoped  that  while  those  paragraphs  are 
dry  reading  they  will  be  found  valuable  as  references. 

The  author  regrets  that  the  available  time  fragments  which  he 
devoted  to  work  on  this  volume  did  not  permit  the  publication 
of  the  biographies  of  a  much  larger  number  of  the  ''Makers  of  the 
College. ' '  The  book  should  contain  the  life  stories  of  at  least  a  hun- 
dred educators  and  public  men,  who  contributed  their  best  efforts 
to  found  and  rear  the  great  technical  school  at  Manhattan,  in 
place  of  only  thirty-three.  It  should  preserve  for  the  future 
Kansan  the  character  sketches  of  Governors  Harvey  and  Green, 
Reverend  Reynolds,  Gen.  J.  K.  Hudson,  Regents  Forsyth,  Lem- 
mon,  Adams,  Purcell,  Secrest,  J.  Wheeler,  R.  P.  Kelley,  Hoffman, 
etc.,  and  of  Professors  Miller,  Detmers,  Piatt,  A.  Todd,  A.  A. 
Stewart,  Hood,  Mason,  Brown,  White,  Mayo,  Otis,  Erf,  Burkett, 
and  many  others,  not  to  mention  a  score  or  more  who  are  still  at 
work  on  the  grand  structure  whose  foundation  was  laid  half  a 
century  ago  by  Senator  Justin  A.  Morrill,  of  Vermont.  May  a 
sharper  pen — one  less  hampered  by  a  lengthy  program  of  daily 
routine  tasks — extend  the  work  outlined  in  these  pages,  and  gather 
up  the  interesting  material  before  it  is  distorted  by  time  or  en- 
tirely lost.     History  begets  loyalty  and  patriotism. 

Manhattan,  May,  1909.  J.  D.  Walters. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


Table  of  Contents. 

Page 

Chapter  I 9 

The  rise  and  growth  of  agricultural  education —Agricultural  soci- 
eties—  Agricultural  fairs  —  Agricultural  publications — The  U.  S. 
department  of  agriculture — The  agricultural  college  idea — The  pio- 
neer agricultural  college — Thousands  of  students  and  many  methods 
—  The  experiment  stations  —  The  farmers'  institute  —  The  growth  of 
science. 

Chapter  II 17 

Bluemont  Central  College. 

Chapter  III 20 

The  Morrill  Act  and  the  endowment. 

Chapter  IV 32 

The  Agricultural  College  in  1863  — From  1863  to  1873  — State  appro- 
priations and  permanent  improvements  during  the  first  decade. 

Chapter  V 39 

President  Denison  and  his  collaborators — Prof.  B.  P.  Mudge — Hon. 
I.  T.  Goodnow— Prof.  J.  S.  Hougham— Prof.  E.  Gale. 

Chapter  VI 47 

The  reorganization — John  A.  Anderson  elected  president  —  Ander- 
son's maxims — The  new  education  —  The  Industrialist — A  testimonial 
— Permanent  improvements  from  1874  to  1879  —State  appropriations 

Chapter  VII 58 

President  Anderson  and  his  collaborators  —  Character  of  the  man  — 
His  unflinching  courage — Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton  —  Prof.  Wm.  K.  Ked- 
zie— Prof.  M.  L.  Ward— Prof.  J.  D.  Walters  — Prof.  J.  H.  Lee- 
Stephen  M.  Wood— The  Faculty. 

Chapter  VIII 74 

From  1878  to  1879— Prof.  Geo.  H.  Failyer  —  Prof.  E.  Popenoe  — 
Secy.  I.  D.  Graham. 

Chapter  IX 78 

Election  of  Pres.  Geo.  T.  Fairchild — A  period  of  progress  —  State 
appropriations  from  1880  to  1897 — Permanent  improvements  from 
1880  to  1897  —  Apparatus  and  library  —  Farmers'  institutes  and  agri- 
cultural experiments — The  Faculty  in  1879. 


Chapter  X • 

The  college-aid  bill  —  New  equipments. 


8  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

Page 

Chapter  XI 94 

President  Fairchild  and  his  collaborators  —  John  E.  Hessin — Prof. 
C.  C.  Georgeson  —  Prof.  W.  A.  Kellerman— Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  — 
Mrs.  Nellie  S.  Kedzie- Jones— Prof.  O.  E.  Olin  — Prof.  A.  S.  Hitch- 
cock—Prof. J.  T.  Willard. 

Chapter  XII 109 

A  new  political  party — President  Fairchild  on  Populism  —  The  legis- 
lature of  1897— The  election  of  Pres.  T.  E.  Will  — The  new  Board  — 
The  new  Faculty  and  its  work  —  Growth  and  improvements  —  The 
Silly  bequest — The  College  in  the  Spanish  war  —  Special  session  of 
the  legislature  —  A  Republican  Board — The  Faculty  in  1897. 

Chapter  XIII 7~. 125 

President  Will  and  his  collaborators  —  Prof.  E.  W.  Bemis — Prof. 
Frank  Parsons  — Prof.  Mary  Winston — Prof.  Henry  M.  Cottrell  — 
Prof.  Helen  Campbell— Prof.  A.  Emch  — The  Faculty  in  1899. 

Chapter  XIV .    138 

The  reorganization  in  1899  —  Growth  from  1899  to  1909  —  New  courses 
of  study — Increase  of  students  —  A  larger  Faculty —  Improvements 
from  1890  to  1909  — More  land— The  poison  laboratory —  The  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  building— Pres.  E.  R.  Nichols  — The  Faculty  in  1909. 

Chapter  XV 154 

The  Experiment  Station — The  Hatch  bill  —  The  organization  of  the 
Experiment  Station  —  The  Hays  Branch  Experiment  Station — Early 
Days  at  Fort  Hays — Progress  at  Hays  Station — Publications  by  the 
Experiment  Station  —  The  total  number  of  bulletins — Postal  privi- 
leges— The  Adams  Act — Recent  work  of  the  Experiment  Station  — 
Seed  distribution  —  Director  Ed.  H.  Webster — Its  mission. 

Chapter  XVI 180 

Farmers'  Institutes  —  Early  Institutes  conducted  by  the  College — 
Summer  Institutes  — State  aid  — Supt.  J.  H.  Miller  and  his  work- 
Railroad  Institutes  —  College  extension  work. 

Chapter  XVII 192 

State  University  versus  State  Agricultural  College. 

Chapter  XVIII 206 

Miscellaneous  items  and  reminiscences  —  Student  Societies  —  The 
Alumni  Association. 

Chapter  XIX .   .    218 

Chronological  list  of  Regents,  Presidents,  Secretaries,  Professors, 
Superintendents  and  Directors,  Instructors,  Librarians,  annual 
addresses,  etc. 


KANSAS  STATU   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


THE  RISK  AND  GROWTH  OF  AGRICULTURAL  EDUCATION  —  AGRICULTUR A  L 
SOCIETIES -AGRICULTURAL  FAIRS  AGRICULTURAL  PUBLICATIONS -THE 
U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OP  AGRICULTURE  — THE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  IDEA  — 
THE  PIONEER  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE-THOUSANDS  OP  STUDENTS  AND 
MANY  METHODS  — THE  EXPERIMENT  STATIONS  — THE  FARMERS'  INSTITUTE 
-THE  GROWTH  OF  SCIENCE. 

DURING  the  colonial  days  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts 
grew  slowly  and  did  not  reach  a  high  state  of  development. 
For  many  generations  the  implements  were  of  the  coarsest  kind, 
differing  little  from  those  used  by  the  Indian.  Life  was  a  constant 
struggle  for  mere  existence.  Up  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century  iron  and  shaping  tools  had  to  be  imported  from  England, 
and  Indian  corn,  milk,  pork,  beef,  game  and  fish  were  the  common 
food.  There  was  little  commerce  and  communication  away  from 
the  coast.  Agricultural  education  was  not  thought  of,  though 
even  before  the  revolution  there  had  been  feeble  attempts  at  agri- 
cultural journalism  and  agricultural  meetings  of  a  social  character. 
During  the  revolution,  and  the  twenty  years  following,  all  energies 
were  bent  upon  organizing  a  strong  government  and  better  inter- 
communication. Congress  coined  money,  adopted  a  system  of 
measures  and  weights,  developed  the  postal  service,  established  a 
military  and  naval  school,  but  it  overlooked  food  production  and 
the  industrial  arts.  "In  1784  the  commerce  of  the  country  was 
so  insignificant  that  eight  bales  of  cotton,  shipped  from  South 
Carolina,  were  seized  by  the  custom  authorities  of  England  on  the 
ground  that  so  large  a  quantity  could  not  have  been  produced  in 
the  United  States."  It  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century  that  farmers,  as  a  class,  commenced  to  recognize  the  im- 
portance of  comparing  methods  of  work,  seeds,  stock,  and  other 
interests,  and  began  to  feel  the  need  of  more  information  for 
themselves  and  better  schools  for  their  children. 

AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETIES. 

Among  the  earliest  contributors  to  agricultural  education  and 
rural  interests  must  be  mentioned  the  agricultural  and  horticul- 
tural societies.  Many  of  these  early  corporations  shed  light  for 
several  generations,  and  are  still  in  existence.  The  first  society 
for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  was  established  in  Philadelphia, 
March  1,  1785.  Of  this  society  President  Washington  was  a  mem- 
ber. Seven  years  later,  on  March  7,  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  Promoting  Agriculture  was  incorporated.  The  New  York  Ag- 
ricultural Society  was  organized  the  following  year.  An  agricul- 
—2 


10  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

tural  society  was  established  in  South  Carolina  probably  in  the 
fall  of  1785.  One  of  its  objects  was  the  establishment  of  an  exper- 
imental farm.  In  1803  the  Western  Society  of  Middlesex  Hus- 
bandmen, formed  in  1794,  was  incorporated,  with  a  provision  that 
members  of  the  Massachusetts  society  should  be  honorary  mem- 
bers. Voluntary  agricultural  associations  were  established  at 
Sturbridge  in  1799,  at  Kennebec  in  1791,  and  at  Brookfield  in  1807. 
The  horticultural  societies  were  but  little  behind.  That  of  New 
York,  organized  in  1818,  was  the  first  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States;  then  came  that  of  Pennsylvania,  organized  in  1827,  and 
that  of  Massachusetts  two  years  later.  The  American  Horticul- 
tural Society,  first  known  as  the  American  Congress  of  Fruit 
Growers,  and  later  as  the  American  Pomological  Society,  was  or- 
ganized in  1884.  The  Kansas  State  Horticultural  Society  was  in- 
corporated December  15,  1869,  that  of  Manhattan,  January  24, 
1874,  and  the  National  Agricultural  Society  on  December  10,  1879. 

AGRICULTURAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  FAIRS., 

Another  potent  factor  in  the  development  of  agriculture  was 
the  fair,  or  exposition.  It  is  reported  that  the  Agricultural 
Society  of  Massachusetts  commenced  the  award  of  premiums  for 
agricultural  products  in  1804.  The  first  regular  stock  show  in 
New  England  seems  to  have  been  held  in  1807.  "In  the  autumn  of 
that  year  Elkanah  Watson,  a  native  of  Plymouth  and  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Governor  Winslow,  who  in  1624  had  brought  the  first 
'neat  cattle  that  came  into  New  England,'  procured  the  first  pair 
of  Merino  sheep  which  had  been  introduced  into  Berkshire. 
Colonel  Humphrey,  of  Connecticut,  formerly  minister  to  Spain,  had 
imported  seventy-five  ewes  and  twenty-seven  rams  in  1802,  and  one 
Seth  Adams  had  two  Merino  sheep  imported  from  France.  Mr. 
Watson  gave  notice  of  a  public  exhibition  of  his  two  sheep  on  the 
public  square  of  Pittsfield.  He  wrote :  '  Many  farmers  and  even 
females  were  attracted  to  this  first  novel  and  nimble  exhibition. 
From  this  lucky  incident  I  reasoned  thus:  If  two  animals  are 
capable  of  exciting  so  much  attention,  what  would  be  the  effect 
of  a  display  on  a  large  scale  of  different  animals?  The  farmers 
present  responded  to  my  remarks  with  approbation.  We  thus 
became  acquainted,  and  from  that  moment  to  the  present  have 
agricultural  fairs  and  cattle  shows,  with  all  their  connections, 
predominated  in  my  mind.'  On  the  1st  of  August,  1810,  an  appeal 
drawn  by  Mr.  Watson  and  signed  by  twenty-six  different  persons 
appointed  an  exhibition  of  stock  on  the  1st  of  October.  This 
effort  was  successful,  and  resulted  in  a  charter  of  the  Berkshire 
Agricultural  Society  the  ensuing  winter  of  1811.     In  the  Septem- 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  11 

ber  following  a  formal  and  extended  festival  was  held  with  'a 
procession  of  sixty-nine  oxen  drawing  a  plow  held  by  the  oldest 
man  in  the  country,  a  band  of  music,  the  society  bearing  appro 
priate  ensigns,  each  member  decorated  with  a  badge  of  two  heads 
of  wheat  in  his  hat,  and  the  officers  three  heads  secured  by  a 
green  ribbon.'  Mr.  Watson,  as  president,  delivered  an  address 
and  awarded  the  premiums." 

It  is  interesting*  to  read  of  these  first  attempts  at  organizing  an 
institution  which  in  our  days  has  developed  into  such  stupendous 
undertakings  as  the  Centennial  Exposition,  the  Pat  Stock  Shows 
of  Chicago  and  Kansas  City,  the  World's  Fairs  at  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis,  the  Trans-Mississippi  Exposition  at  Omaha,  or  the  Kansas 
State  Fair,  the  latter  of  which  as  early  as  1883  had  been  able  to 
boast  of  an  attendance  of  nearly  100,000  people,  and  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  the  real  purpose  of  these  agricultural  and  industrial 
fairs  was  not  kept  in  the  foreground. 

AGRICULTURAL   PUBLICATIONS. 

Much  credit  is  due  to  the  agricultural  press.  The  pioneer 
agricultural  journal,  the  American  Farmer,  issued  its  first  number 
in  1819,  and  is  still  being  published.  The  New  England  Farmer 
appeared  in  1822,  and  the  Kansas  Farmer  was  established  in  1863. 
To-day  the  number  of  periodicals  devoted  to  agriculture  and  the 
kindred  arts,  as  horticulture,  floriculture,  landscape  gardening, 
cattle,  horses,  swine  and  sheep  breeding,  poultry  and  bee  keeping, 
sugar,  cotton  and  tobacco  planting,  etc.,  must  reach  the  six 
hundred  mark  in  America. 

THE   DEPARTMENT   OF    AGRICULTURE. 

Another  motor  working  for  the  development  of  farming  has 
been  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  established  in 
in  1837,  as  a  branch  of  the  United  States  patent  office,  afterwards 
as  an  independent  sub-department  and  lately  as  a  separate  cabi- 
net. A  distribution  of  seeds  and  plants  through  a  congressional 
appropriation  was  begun  in  1889.  This  continued  to  be  a  function 
of  thepatent  office  until  1862,  when  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture  was  established.  But  the  greatest  step  in  the  de- 
velopment of  agricultural  art  was  the  establishment  of  agricul- 
tural schools  and  experiment  stations. 

THE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE   IDEA. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  agricultural 
college  idea  began  to  appear.  In  the  patent  office  report  for  1847, 
Mr.  C.  L.  Fleischman  published  an  elaborate  report  on  agricultural 
schools,  which  he  had  visited  abroad,  and  urged  the  organization 


12  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

of  similar  schools  in  this  country.  The  writings  of  the  great 
German  chemist,  Baron  Von  Liebig,  on  scientific  agriculture  and 
the  rich  contents  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society  of  England  were  being  republished  in  our  agricultural 
and  scientific  periodicals.  Railroads  and  steamships  commenced 
to  do  the  work  of  transportation  in  place  of  the  ox,  the  horse,  the 
canal-boat  and  the  sailing  vessel,  and  through  these  effective  car- 
riers farming  was  drawn  into  the  galaxy  of  regular  business  en- 
terprises, demanding  not  only  hard  labor,  but  management,  fore- 
sight, and  knowledge.  Progressive  farmers  began  to  feel  that  the 
common  school  as  it  existed  was  entirely  inadequate  for  teaching 
the  scientific  and  technical  education  required  in  their  work,  and 
discussions  pertaining  to  the  establishment  of  special  schools  of 
agriculture  similar  to  those  of  central  Europe,  especially  those  of 
Holland,  Germany  and  Switzerland,  became  more  and  more 
frequent. 

The  first  legislative  efforts  in  America  of  organizing  an  agricul- 
tural college  were  made  in  Massachusetts.  A  bill  providing  for 
the  organization  of  an  agricultural  school  and  the  establishment  of 
an  experiment  station  passed  the  Senate  of  that  state  in  1850,  but 
was  defeated  in  the  House.  The  defeat  of  this  bill  provoked  much 
comment  in  agricultural  circles,  and  resulted  in  the  appointment 
of  a  board  of  commissioners  who  were  to  consider  further  steps 
in  the  matter  and  report  at  the  next  session.  In  1852  their  report, 
with  an  elaborate  account  of  the  organization  and  work  of  the  ag- 
ricultural schools  of  Europe  visited  by  Professor  Hitchcock,  was 
made  to  the  legislature. 

But  the  time  was  not  favorable  for  the  teaching  of  practical  sci- 
ence. No  immediate  action  resulted  from  their  recommendations, 
except,  perhaps,  the  establishment  of  a  state  board  of  agriculture; 
yet  the  matber  was  not  permitted  to  rest.  Massachusetts  became 
a  center  of  the  agitation  which  finally  triumphed  in  Congress  in  the 
passage  of  the  "Morrill  act,"  an  act  appropriating  several  millions 
of  acres  of  wild  land  to  the  different  states  and  territories  for  the 
purpose  of  founding  agricultural  colleges.  This  act  became  a  law 
in  1862. 

THE  PIONEER  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE. 

The  honor  of  founding  and  maintaining  the  first  institution  of 
learning  on  the  continent  whose  sole  object  should  be  the  teaching 
of  agriculture  and  agricultural  science  belongs  to  the  energetic 
state  of  Michigan.  The  constitution  of  Michigan,  adopted  in  1850, 
directed  the  legislature  to  encourage  agricultural  improvement 
and  to  provide  for  the  establishment  of  an  agricultural  school.     In 


KANSAS   STATU    A^RKHJI/nJKAL,   GO\AA<)(lK  L3 

obedience  to  this  direction,  the  legislature  in  1855  authorized 
officers  of  the  state  agricultural  society  to  select,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  state  board  of  education,  a  site  near  Lansing  for 
the  school,  and  to  purchase  for  it  not  less  than  500  nor  more  than 
1000  acres  of  land.  It  appropriated  twenty- two  sections  of  land, 
or  the  money  arising  from  their  sale,  for  the  purchase  of  land, 
erection  of  buildings,  and  the  payment  of  necessary  expenses.  A 
tract  of  land  was  selected  about  three  miles  from  Lansing,  and 
the  erection  of  buildings  commenced.  In  May,  1857,  the  college 
went  into  operation,  with  a  faculty  of  six  teachers  and  an  attend- 
ance of  sixty -one  students — the  first  agricultural  school  of  any 
kind  on  this  continent. 

During  the  early  years  of  its  existence  the  new  college  under- 
went severe  trials.  The  buildings  had  been  poorly  constructed 
and  required  expensive  repairs  and  additions;  efficient  instruc- 
tion could  not  be  afforded;  the  curriculum  was  in  an  unsettled 
state;  the  old  education  was  on  the  war-path  and  refused  to  give 
way  to  new  ideas,  and  the  question  whether  the  institution  should 
continue  to  afford  a  general  education  or  be  so  modified  as  to  offer 
professional  training  alone  was  vigorously  debated.  In  1859  the 
advocates  of  the  latter  idea  were  victorious,  and  the  course  of  in- 
struction was  cut  down  from  four  years  to  two.  The  first  agricul- 
tural college  in  America  had  not  yet  graduated  one  student  when 
its  young  life  was  already  in  danger  from  irreconcilable  differ- 
ences of  opinion  as  to  how  it  should  be  run.  In  1861  a  state  board 
of  agriculture  was  created,  partly  for  the  management  of  the  state 
agricultural  college.  The  board  consisted  of  six  appointed  mem- 
bers, with  the  governor  of  the  state  and  the  president  of  the  col- 
lege as  members  ex-ofjlcio.  Half  of  them  were  to  be  practical 
farmers.  Their  term  of  service  was  to  be  six  years,  two  going 
out  of  office  every  second  spring.  This  reorganization  of  the  board 
was  the  cause  of  new  disagreements.  The  purpose,  scope 
and  sphere  of  agricultural  education  required  definition,  and 
the  tinkering  with  "rules  and  regulations"  commenced  once 
more.  This  time  the  course  of  study  was  lengthened  to  four  years; 
women  were  excluded  from  the  course,  and  the  afternoons  of  five 
days  each  week  were  devoted  to  labor  by  the  active  student  body. 
The  college  provided  a  dormitory  with  suitable  board  for  all 
students,  and  cottages  for  the  professors.  These  details  are 
mentioned  here  because  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  was 
the  first  practical  school  of  the  kind  in  America.  When  the  Morrill 
act  was  passed,  in  1862,  two  additional  institutions  had  been 
founded — the  Maryland  Agricultural  College  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Agricultural  College,  both  organized  in  1859. 


14  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

THOUSANDS    OP   STUDENTS. 

The  year  1870  found  agricultural  colleges  in  nearly  every  state 
in  the  Union,  though  some  of  the  southern  states,  owing  to  their 
adherence  to  the  now-exploded  notion  of  state  rights,  were  very 
slow  in  accepting  the  magnificent  federal  land  grant.  The  fifty 
or  more  agricultural  colleges  founded  under  this  act  have  not  all 
been  highly  successful.  Some  states  organized  high-grade  uni- 
versity courses  in  pure  science,  tinted  with  applied  work,  and 
made  it  impossible  for  the  young  man  or  young  woman  from  the 
rural  school  to  enter  their  courses  without  several  years  of  inter- 
vening high-school  or  preparatory  work.  They  aimed  at  educa- 
ting scientists  and  teachers  rather  than  farmers.  Other  agricul- 
tural colleges  were  connected  with  existing  universities  and  be- 
came "literary  kites  with  agricultural  tails,"  as  Pres.  John  A.  An- 
derson used  to  style  them.  Others  fooled  away  their  heritages  to 
speculators  and  land  grabbers,  receiving  but  little  of  the  proceeds 
and  remaining  too  poor  to  do  their  work.  Some  of  the  colleges, 
however,  did  as  well  as  the  advocates  of  the  passage  of  the 
Morrill  act  could  have  hoped  for.  The  total  attendance  of  the 
land-grant  colleges  of  America  in  1903  was  50,799,  and  the 
number  of  teachers  4012. 

THE  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

These  agricultural  colleges  contributed  to  the  growth  of  scien- 
tific agriculture  not  only  through  the  education  of  thousands 
of  farmers'  sons  and  farmers'  daughters,  but  they  developed  agri- 
cultural science  itself.  Their  laboratories  and  experimental 
farms  gradually  became  the  recognized  fountains  of  agricultural 
knowledge. 

Much  valuable  work  had  been  done  in  many  lines  of  experi- 
ments in  New  York,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  California  and  other 
states  before  1887,  when  the  government  came  again  to  their  aid. 
The  passage  by  Congress  in  that  year  (1887)  of  the  so-called 
"Hatch  bill"  provided  for  the  organization  in  each  state  agricul- 
tural college  of  a  station  for  agricultural  experiments,  by  appro- 
priating annual  contributions  of  $15,000.  This  gift,  amounting  in 
the  aggregate  to  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars  per  year,  dis- 
tributed equally  over  the  broad  area  of  the  country,  gave  an  im- 
petus to  agricultural  science  which  was  bound  to  result  not  only 
in  valuable  investigations  and  practical  results,  but  in  giving  the 
heterogeneous  elements  of  the  college  faculties  a  distinctly 
scientific  color — it  settled,  to  a  considerable  extent,  the  old  dis- 
putes between  the  humanistic  and  realistic  factions.  The  past 
decade  has  proven  the  great  value  of  these  stations,  and  it  may 


KANSAS  STATE    A.GRICUL.TURAL  COLLEGE  1  5 

confidently  be  asserted  that  the  harvest  will  lxv  greater  in  the  fu- 
ture. It  is  probably  true  that  the  large  number  of  experimenters 
who  were  called  into  service  by  the  passage  of  the  Hatch  bill 
had  very  primitive  conceptions  of  the  purpose,  scope  and  value  of 
agricultural  experiments,  that  there  were  many  useless  repeti- 
tions of  such  work  and  much  unscientific  tinkering  and  show  mak- 
ing, but  on  the  whole  the  experiment  stations  have  fulfilled  the 
high  expectations  of  their  founders.  The  station  reports  furnish 
the  most  valuable  topics  for  the  agricultural  press,  and  the  station 
bulletins  are  being  distributed  broadcast  over  the  farming  dis- 
tricts of  all  states  and  territories. 

THE  FARMERS'  INSTITUTE. 

Another  factor  which,  during  the  last  twenty  years,  has  con- 
tributed much  to  elevate  the  standard  of  actual  farming  and  to 
beget  enthusiasm  for  rural  pursuits  is  the  farmers'  institute.  In 
some  of  the  western  states  the  institute  was  inaugurated  by  the 
agricultural  college,  and,  though  it  is  not  originally  a  creation  of 
this,  it  has  become  a  valuable  means  of  direct  intercourse  of  the 
farmer  and  professor.  Farmers'  institutes  were  held  in  several 
eastern  states  for  twenty  years  before  the  advent  of  the  agricul- 
tural college  and  experiment  station.  In  the  early  seventies  in- 
stitutes became  common  in  eastern  Kansas  and  programs  cover- 
ing from  three  to  five  days  were  given  in  Manhattan.  Some 
years  ago  the  state  of  Wisconsin  inaugurated  a  new  movement  by 
establishing  farmers'  institutes  in  every  senatorial  district  and 
paying  for  the  work  by  a  special  legislative  appropriation.  Kan- 
sas followed  during  the  winter  of  1898  by  appropriating  $2000  for 
the  actual  expenses  incurred  by  the  College  in  holding  such  insti- 
tutes. This  work  has  done  much  for  the  development  of  a  better 
system  of  farming,  yet  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the  farmer 
who  has  received  but  little  scientific  training  cannot  be  benefitted 
to  a  great  extent  by  ready-made  scientific  facts.  The  youths 
from  the  farms  must  first  find  in  the  schools  of  agriculture  some 
stimulant  to  scientific  thoughtfulness.  The  results  of  research 
and  experiment  can  be  accepted  and  utilized  by  those  only  whose 
training  has  somehow  fitted  them  for  such  appreciation  and  adap- 
tation to  present  wants.  In  agriculture,  especially,  the  judgment 
needed  to  adopt  and  adapt  to  varying  conditions  any  improvement 
depends  upon  previous  familiarity  with  a  multitude  of  relations. 
The  problems  of  agriculture  are  too  infinitely  varied  to  be  grasped 
and  understood  by  the  untutored  mind. 


16 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


THE   GROWTH   OF   SCIENCE. 

To  the  items  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraphs  should  be 
added  all  the  general  instrumentalities  of  progress:  the  rapid 
development  of  better  means  of  communication  and  transportation, 
the  enormous  increase  of  home  and  foreign  consumption,  the 
growth  of  the  manufacturing  industries,  the  invention  of  the  pro- 
cesses of  curing  and  preserving,  the  perfection  of  nearly  every  im- 
plement and  tool,  the  importation  and  propagation  of  stock,  cere- 
als, vegetables,  and  fruit,  and  last  but  not  least  the  growth  of  the 
common  school  and  the  phenomenal  revelations  of  modern  science. 
Sixty  years  ago  there  was  but  little  known  of  many  of  the  phe- 
nomena of  life.  The  great  thought  that  all  species  were  but  twigs 
of  the  same  tree  had  not  been  formulated,  and  there  was  no  con- 
ception of  the  possibilities  of  seed  breeding  and  stock  breeding. 
Nothing  was  known  of  bacteriology  and  the  real  nature  of  the  con- 
tagious diseases.  Fermentation  and  decay  were  ascribed  to 
chemical  affinities.  No  one  dreamed  of  the  great  law  of  the  inde- 
structibility of  force  and  of  the  perfect  application  of  all  physical 
laws  to  organic  life.  To-day  the  rays  of  scientific  discovery  are 
penetrating  everything,  and  total  "illiteracy"  is  becoming  rare 
among  the  growing  generation. 


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Main  Entrance  to  Campus. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  17 


II. 

BLUEMONT  CENTRAL  COLLEGE. 

THE  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  owes  its  location  and 
initiative  momentum  to  the  pioneers  of  Manhattan.  The 
city  was  founded  in  1855  by  the  cooperation  of  two  colonies — one 
from  New  England,  arriving  March  24,  and  one  from  Cincinnati, 
arriving  June  1.  Among  the  members  of  the  New  England  colony 
were  several  college  graduates,  and  it  is  stated  that  the  founding 
of  a  college  was  discussed  and  decided  upon  during  the  voyage, 
long  before  reaching  the  objective  point  of  the  expedition,  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Big  Blue  and  Kaw  rivers. 

Prom  necessity  the  project  had  to  be  deferred  for  a  while,  but 
it  was  not  abandoned.  As  early  as  1857,  when  the  buffaloes  were 
yet  numerous  in  the  northern  part  of  Riley  county,  and  less  than 
three  summers  had  bleached  the  roof  of  the  first  house  west  of 
the  Blue  river,  an  association  was  formed  to  build  a  college  in  or 
near  Manhattan,  to  be  under  control  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Kansas,  and  to  be  called  "Bluemont  Central  Col- 
lege." 

The  charter  was  approved  February  9,  1858.  It  provided  for 
the  establishment  of  a  classical  college,  but  contained  the  follow- 
ing (in  the  light  of  future  history)  interesting  section: 

The  said  association  shall  have  power  and  authority  to  establish,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  literary  department  of  arts  and  sciences,  an  agricultural  de- 
partment, with  separate  professors,  to  test  soils,  experiment  in  the  raising  of 
crops,  the  cultivation  of  trees,  etc.,  upon  a  farm  set  apart  for  the  purpose, 
so  as  to  bring  out  to  the  utmost  practical  results  the  agricultural  advan- 
tages of  Kansas,  especially  the  capabilities  of  the  high  prairie  lands. 

The  leading  members  of  the  association  were:  Rev.  Joseph 
Denison,  D.  D.,  afterwards  President  of  the  College;  Isaac  T. 
Goodnow,  elected  State  superintendent  in  1862,  reelected  in  1864; 
Rev.  W.  Marlatt,  now  a  model  farmer  on  College  Hill;  S.  C.  Pome- 
roy,  afterwards  United  States  senator. 

A  site  of  100  acres  was  selected  for  the  institution  upon  the 
rising  ground  about  one  mile  west  from  the  town,  and  the  title  se- 
cured by.  special  act  of  Congress  introduced  and  fathered  by  Sen- 
ator Pomeroy.  The  Cincinnati  Town  Company  promised  liberal 
aid  in  town  lots  and  town  stock,  but  coupled  their  promise  with 
the  illiberal  clause  that  the  aid  should  not  be  delivered  until  the 
college  association  could  show  property  to  the  amount  of  $100,000. 
The  New  England  Town  Company  gave  50  shares  of  stock  in  the 


18  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

north  half  of  Manhattan,  representing  100  city  lots.  I.  T.  Good- 
now,  assisted  by  Doctor  Denison,  sold  these,  and  by  personal 
solicitation  here  and  in  the  East  obtained  funds  for  a  building. 
Many  of  the  founders  must  have  taxed  themselves  quite  heavily. 
G.  S.  Park  (one  of  the  builders  of  Parkville,  Mo.),  S.  D.  Houston, 
Joseph  Denison,  John  Kimball,  J.  S.  Goodnow,  I.  T.  Goodnow  and 
Washington  Marlatt  gave  $300  each,  which  were  princely  gifts 
when  measured  by  the  financial  condition  of  these  pioneers.  The 
whole  amount  of  cash  collected  from  all  sources  at  the  time 
amounted  to  $4000. 

The  corner-stone  was  laid  with  elaborate  ceremony,  May  10, 
1859,  with  speeches  from  General  Pomeroy  and  others,  and  the  in- 
stitution was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students  about  one  year 
thereafter.  It  was  a  poor  time  and  place,  however,  for  building 
up  a  college.  The  squatters  had  nothing  to  give,  the  students 
were  scarce,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  territory  had 
two  other  educational  institutions  to  support,  and  the  country  was 
disturbed  by  the  bloody  preambles  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
The  first  annual  report  of  the  institution  to  the  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska Methodist.  Episcopal  Conference  gives  the  names  of  53 
pupils,  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Washington  Marlatt  as  the  prin- 
cipal teacher  and  Miss  Julia  A.  Bailey  as  the  assistant.  The  sal- 
ary of  Reverend  Marlatt  for  1860  was  $600,  and  was  to  be  paid  in 
Bluemont  city  town  lots — lots  that  never  had  a  more  than  nominal 
value.  No  wonder  that  he  complained:  "The  labor  of  teaching  is 
great  enough  for  two  persons,  while  the  income  is  barely  sufficient 
to  pay  the  board  for  one."  (Records  of  Bluemont  College,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1860). 

Upon  the  admission  of  Kansas  as  a  state,  January  29,  1861,  the 
founding  of  a  State  University  became  a  probability,  and  the  trus- 
tees of  Bluemont  College,  represented  by  Hon.  I.  T.  Goodnow, 
were  nearly  successful  in  locating  that  institution  at  Manhattan 
by  offering  their  building  for  this  purpose.  On  March  1  the 
measure  passed  both  Houses  of  the  Legislature,  but  met  with  a 
veto  from  Gov.  Charles  Robinson,  who  was  determined  that  the 
State  University  or  the  State  capital  should  go  to  Lawrence. 
Robinson  was  willing  to  barter  with  the  delegates  from  Manhat- 
tan and  their  friends,  if  they  would  assist  him  to  get  the  State- 
house  for  his  own  town,  but  the  Manhattan  delegation  had  already 
pledged  themselves  for  Topeka;  they  refused  to  change  their 
adhesion,  and  lost  the  State  University  for  Bluemont. 

A  little  over  a  year  later  another  chance  presented  itself  for  the 
College  to  become  a  State  institution.     When,  on  July  2,  1862,  the 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  1(.> 

'•agricultural  college  act"  was  passed  by  Congress,  the  trustees 

offered  it.  once  more  to  the  Legislature,  and  this  time  the  offer 
was  accepted.  The  donation,  at  the  time  it  was  made,  consisted 
of  100  acres  of  land,  a  plain  three-story  stone  building  measuring 
HxlH)  feet  and  containing  in  the  third  story  a  chapel  with  a 
curved  ceiling,  a  library  of  several  hundred  volumes,  and  some 
illustrative  apparatus.  The  total  valuation  of  the  property  was 
probably  in  the  neighborhood  of  $25,000. 

The  gift  to  the  State  of  the  property  of  Bluemont  College  was 
a  liberal  one;  yet,  like  many  such  gifts,  it  had  several  strings  tied 
to  it  that  made  its  acceptance  of  doubtful  value.  It  prevented  the 
State  from  removing  the  institution  from  the  particular  piece  of 
land  upon  which  it  was  located,  and  forced  the  College  into  a  tedi- 
ous lawsuit  twenty  years  later,  when  a  removal  became  positively 
necessary.  The  worst  feature  of  the  bargain,  however,  was  of  a 
different  character.  It  seemed  proper  that  the  donators  of  Blue- 
mont— officers  and  members  of  the  Faculty — should  be  retained 
in  the  transformation  of  the  classic  college  into  a  technical  school. 
The  Methodist  conference  of  Kansas-Nebraska  assumed  the  right 
for  many  years  to  dictate  the  appointment  of  the  members  of  the 
Board  of  Regents,  and  received  annual  reports  from  the  officers 
as  if  there  had  been  no  transfer  of  property  of  any  kind.  History, 
English  literature,  Latin,  Greek,  French,  German,  psychology, 
etc.,  formed  the  bulk  of  the  course  of  instruction  of  the  more  ad- 
vanced classes,  while  the  lower  classes  did  common-school  work 
of  the  most  primitive  character.  In  other  words,  the  metamor- 
phosis of  the  classical  college  into  a  technical  school  did  not  be- 
come complete  by  the  passage  of  the  agricultural  college  act;  it 
took  over  a  dozen  years  to  accomplish  it. 

The  act  referred  to  is  "An  act  donating  public  lands  to  the  sev- 
eral states  and  territories  which  may  provide  colleges  for  the  ben- 
efit of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,"  giving  to  each  state 
lands  to  the  amount  of  30,000  acres  for  each  senator  and  repre- 
sentative in  Congress,  for  "the  endowment,  support  and  mainte- 
nance of  at  least  one  college"  for  the  benefit  of  "agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts."  The  bill  was  passed  by  Congress  in  1859, 
but  was  vetoed  by  President  James  Buchanan  under  the  pressure 
of  the  States  Rights  party.  In  1862  the  act  was  again  passed, 
and  the  pen  that  wrote  the  proclamation  of  emancipation — the 
death  warrant  of  American  slavery — approved  it. 


20  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

III. 

THE    MORRILL  ACT  AND  THE  ENDOWMENT. 

THE  so-called  Morrill  act,  to  which  the  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College  owes  its  existence  and  endowment,  was  passed 
in  a  most  critical  period  of  our  national  life,  and  its  history  is  inter- 
esting to  the  student  of  American  institutions  from  more  than 
one  point  of  view. 

The  annexation  of  territory,  as  the  result  of  the  war  with  Mex- 
ico, had  added  millions  of  acres  of  wild  land  to  the  large  public 
domain  of  the  United  States.  At  the  time  of  the  election  of  James 
Buchanan  to  the  presidency,  the  national  government  still  had  at 
its  command,  with  constitutional  right  of  disposal,  nearly  a  billion 
and  a  half  acres.  It  had  not  yet  squandered  an  empire  to  schem- 
ing railroad  companies,  though  petitions  began  to  pour  in  begging 
for  grants  for  various  public  and  private  interests.  Agricultural 
societies  throughout  the  Union,  seemingly  in  concerted  action,  fol- 
lowed the  clamoring  multitude  by  asking  for  the  donation  of  public 
lands  to  the  states  for  the  purpose  of  agricultural  education.  The 
agitation  took  formal  shape  as  early  as  1852,  when  the  legislature 
of  Massachusetts  passed  a  resolution  asking  Congress  for  a  grant 
of  lands  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  a ' '  National  Normal  College, ' ' 
as  they  styled  it;  and  similar  propositions,  urging  that  the  nation 
should  promote  scientific  instruction  in  agriculture,  in  order  to 
preserve  the  chief  industry  of  the  country,  soon  came  from  many 
sides.  It  was  claimed  that  the  prevailing  methods  of  agriculture 
were  rapidly  exhausting  the  soil,  while  weeds,  insect  pests,  blights 
and  mildews  were  overrunning  gardens,  fields,  and  orchards. 

In  1858,  memorials  were  presented  in  Congress  from  the  Ken- 
tucky and  New  York  agricultural  societies,  and  from  the  legisla- 
tures of  New  York,  California,  and  Missouri,  praying  for  lands  for 
educational  purposes  in  state  agricultural  colleges.  Hon.  Justin 
A.  Morrill,  of  Vermont,  in  speaking  of  this  subject  before  the 
House  of  Representatives,  on  April  20, 1858,  said :  "There  has  been 
no  measure  for  years  which  has  received  so  much  attention  in  the 
various  parts  of  the  country  as  the  one  now  under  consideration, 
so  far  as  the  fact  can  be  proved  by  petitions  which  have  been  re- 
ceived from  various  states,  north  and  south,  from  state  societies, 
county  societies,  and  from  individuals.  Petitions  have  come  in  al- 
most every  day  from  the  commencement  of  the  session." 

The  bill  then  before  Congress,  granting  land  to  the  states  for 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  21 

agricultural  colleges,  upon  which  Mr.  Morrill  spoke  these  words, 
was  almost  identical  with  the  one  which  became  a  l;iw  lour  years 
later.  It  was  introduced  and  brought  to  its  passage  in  the  House. 
The  main  difference  between  it  and  the  one  which  finally  won  suc- 
cess was,  that  the  former  granted  only  20,000  acres  of  land  for  each 
senator  and  representative  in  Congress,  instead  of  30,000,  finally 
allowed.  Temporary  loss  resulted,  as  it  often  does,  in  permanent 
gain.  The  first  bill  passed  the  House  April  22,  1858,  and  was 
indorsed  by  the  Senate  at  the  following  session,  but  it  met  the 
veto  of  President  Buchanan,  February  24, 1859. 

The  veto  message  adopted  the  view  of  the  timid  school  of  inter- 
preters of  the  constitution,  and  sets  forth  the  obstacles  which  the 
friends  of  national  aid  to  education  and  the  public- school  system 
had  to  encounter  a  generation  or  two  ago.  It  rested  mainly,  like 
the  well-known  veto  of  the  homestead  bill  a  year  later,  upon  con- 
stitutional grounds.  President  Buchanan  urged  the  minor  objec- 
tions, that  such  a  measure  was  inexpedient,  in  cutting  off  $5,000,000 
of  revenue  at  a  time  when  it  was  difficult  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
government  and  to  sustain  public  credit ;  that  it  would  be  injurious 
to  the  new  states,  in  enabling  speculators  who  might  buy  the  land 
scrip  to  withhold  their  land  from  settlement,  and  thus  run  up  the 
price  to  the  actual  settler;  that  the  government  would  have  no 
power  to  follow  into  the  states  to  see  that  it  was  properly  executed ; 
and  that  such  a  donation  would  interfere  with  the  growth  of  estab- 
lished colleges.  "It  would  be  better,"  says  his  message,  "if  such 
an  appropriation  of  land  must  be  made  to  institutions  of  learning, 
to  apply  it  directly  to  the  establishment  of  professorships  of  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts  in  existing  colleges,  without  the  in- 
terference of  state  legislatures." 

Undoubtedly  some  of  the  objections  were  strong  ones.  The  his- 
tory of  several  of  the  agricultural  schools,  where  the  land  was 
fooled  away  to  land  speculators,  and  the  proceeds  given  to  clas- 
sical institutions,  vindicated  a  number  of  them  only  too  well;  but 
they  were  posed  simply  to  furnish  a  necessary  background.  He 
believed  that  the  proposed  grant  violated  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  He  presumed  it  "undeniable  that  Congress  does 
not  possess  the  power  to  appropriate  money  in  the  treasury, 
raised  by  taxes  on  the  people  of  the  United  States,  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  the  people  of  the  respective  states.  This  would  be 
to  collect  taxes  for  every  state  purpose  which  Congress  might 
deem  expedient  and  useful — an  actual  consolidation  of  the  federal 
and  state  governments."  The  power  specifically  given  to  Con- 
gress "to  dispose  of  the  territory  and  other  property  of  the  United 


22  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

States"  was  to  be  used  only  for  the  objects  specifically  enumerated 
in  the  constitution.  At  least  the  public  lands  could  not  be  "given 
away."  He  believed  that  the  previously  made  donations  of  the 
sixteenth  sections,  and,  later,  of  the  thirty-sixth  sections,  for  com- 
mon schools,  and  of  townships  for  universities  and  seminaries, 
were  safely  constitutional;  but  in  these  transactions  the  govern- 
ment had  not ' '  given  away ' '  land.  It  had  merely  acted  as  a  prudent 
speculator  in  "disposing  of"  some  land,  in  order  to  enhance  the 
price  of  the  balance.  The  message  "purposely  avoided  any  at- 
tempt to  define  what  portions  of  land  may  be  granted,  and  for 
what  purpose,  to  improve  the  value  and  promote  the  sale  of  the 
remainder,  without  violating  the  constitution." 

In  speaking  of  this  veto,  Prof.  James  Albert  Woodburn  says: 

That  would,  indeed,  have  been  an  interesting  definition.  It  would  have 
squared  the  circle  in  a  constitutional  sense.  For  nothing  has  been  more  im- 
possible in  our  constitutional  history  than  to  limit,  by  rigid  and  permanent 
written  definitions,  the  constitutional  powers  of  the  nation.  It  is  now  gener- 
ally accepted  as  true  that,  while  a  written  parchment  can  define  broad  prin- 
cipals of  government  which  may  not  be  violated,  it  cannot  contain  specifically 
all  the  necessary  and  proper  powers  which,  under  varying  circumstances, 
may  be  exercised  by  the  state.  These  must  be  determined  by  progressive 
national  interpretation.  In  the  doctrine  of  implied  powers  there  was  found 
"a  sleeping  giant  in  the  constitution,"  which  has  been  able  at  numerous 
times  to  assert  its  strength  for  the  common  benefit  of  all  the  states.  This 
giant  power  has  been  forcibly  wielded,  always  in  a  beneficent  way,  in  the 
history  of  national  grants  in  aid  of  education  within  the  states.  In  seeking 
to  promote  the  public  welfare  under  the  same  written  document,  another 
Congress  and  a  new  president  found  it  possible  for  the  nation  to  extend 
again  a  helping  hand  to  the  states  in  the  establishment  of  schools  and  for 
the  promotion  of  learning. 

"Where  there  is  a  lack  of  argument  against  a  measure,"  said 
Mr.  Morrill,  while  facing  the  veto  of  his  bill,  "the  constitution  is 
fled  to  as  an  inexhaustible  source  of  supply.  The  president 
wholly  ignores  to  consider  the  object  of  the  bill,  which  was  to 
offer  tuition  to  the  boys  of  farmers  and  mechanics  (not  to 
enrich  corporations  and  endow  professorships),  and  to  enable 
them  by  their  own  industry  to  acquire  what  might  not  otherwise 
be  within  their  reach — a  liberal  education.  If  it  be  a  satisfaction 
to  the  president  to  have  thwarted  such  an  object,  I  hardly  think 
it  will  be  highly  appreciated,  and  especially  not  by  those  whose 
hopes  are  thus  destroyed.  The  telegraphic  news  of  this  veto 
will  start  a  tear  from  the  eye  of  more  than  one  manly  boy  whose 
ambition  will  now  be  nipped  in  the  bud.  One  great  object  was  to 
raise  the  degenerate  and  downward  system  of  agriculture  by 
which  American  soil  is  rapidly  obtaining  the  rank  of  the  poorest 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  23 

and  least  productive  on  the  globe,  and  to  give  to  farmers  and 
mechanics  that  prestige  and  standing  in  life  which  liberal  culture 
and  recognition  of  the  government  might  afford.  To  all  these  the 
president  turns  a  deaf  ear." 

There  was  nothing  left,  though,  but  to  re-introduce  the  bill  in 
the  House  of  the  Thirty-ninth  Congress,  where  it  was  again  un- 
favorably reported  by  the  committee  on  public  lands. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  the  measure  had  found  a  champion 
in  the  person  of  Senator  Wade,  of  Ohio,  and  on  May  5,  1862,  this 
gentleman  introduced  in  the  Senate  the  bill  which,  after  much  op- 
position, finally  became  a  law.  It  was  postponed  and  delayed 
in  various  ways.  Even  our  Kansas  senator,  "Jim"  Lane,  of 
Leavenworth,  objected  to  it,  because  it  would,  as  he  thought,  ex- 
haust all  the  valuable  public  land  in  his  State;  and  in  this  he  was 
generally  supported  by  the  press.  The  redeeming  feature  of 
Senator  Lane's  opposition  was  his  unflinching  belief  that  Kansas 
was  "the  only  state  with  desirable  public  lands  within  its  bor- 
ders," and  that,  in  case  the  bill  should  become  a  law,  all  other 
states  from  New  Jersey  to  Illinois  would  rush  to  Kansas  to  take 
up  her  beautiful  prairies.  Mr.  Lane  finally  fell  back  on  the  con- 
stitutional objection,  and  warned  the  Senate  against  the  danger  of 
"  giving  to  sovereign  states  the  right  of  entering  lands  within  the 
sovereign  states."  Unable  to  defeat  the  bill,  he  and  his  coadjutors 
made  a  fight  for  the  amendment  that  no  more  than  1,000,000  acres 
of  the  land  should  be  located  in  any  one  state  by  assignees  of  the 
lands,  and  in  this  they  were  successful. 

The  bill,  as  amended  by  the  Kansas  senator,  passed  the  Senate 
June  10,  1862,  the  House  one  week  later,  and  became  a  law  on  July 
2,  1862,  by  receiving  the  signature  of  Pres.  Abraham  Lincoln. 
The  act  is  as  follows: 

[Chapter  CXXX,  United  States  Laws  1862. J 
An  Act  donating  public  lands  to  the  several  states  and  territories  which  may  provide  colleges 
for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Bepresentatives  of  the  United  States  of 

America  in  Congress  assembled: 

That  there  be  granted  to  the  several  states,  for  the  purposes  hereinafter 
mentioned,  an  amount  of  public  land  to  be  apportioned  to  each  state  a 
quantity  equal  to  30,000  acres  for  each  senator  and  representative  in  Con- 
gress to  which  the  states  are  respectively  entitled  by  the  apportionment 
under  the  census  of  1860:  Provided,  That  no  mineral  lands  shall  be  selected 
or  purchased  under  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

Section  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  land  aforesaid,  after 
being  surveyed,  shall  be  apportioned  to  the  several  states  in  sections  or  sub- 
division of  sections  not  less  than  one-quarter  of  a  section;  and  whenever 
there  are  public  lands  in  a  state  subject  to  sale  at  private  entry  at  $1.25  per 


24  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

acre,  the  quantity  to  which  said  state  shall  be  entitled  shall  be  selected  from 
such  lands  within  the  limits  of  such  state;  and  the  secretary  of  the  interior 
is  hereby  directed  to  issue  to  each  of  the  states  in  which  there  is  not  the 
quantity  of  public  lands  subject  to  sale  at  private  entry  at  $1.25  per  acre,  to 
which  s«aid  state  may  be  entitled  under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  land  scrip 
to  the  amount  in  acres  for  the  deficiency  of  its  distributive  share :  said  scrip 
to  be  sold  by  said  states,  and  the  proceeds  thereof  applied  to  the  uses  and 
purposes  prescribed  in  this  act,  and  for  no  other  use  or  purpose  whatsoever : 
Provided,  That  in  no  case  shall  any  state  to  which  land  scrip  may  thus  be 
issued  be  allowed  to  locate  the  same  within  the  limits  of  any  other  state  or 
of  any  territory  of  the  United  States,  but  their  assignees  may  thus  locate 
said  land  scrip  upon  any  of  the  unappropriated  lands  of  the  United  States 
subject  to  sale  at  private  entry  at  $1.25  or  less  per  acre:  And  provided 
further,  That  not  more  than  1,000,000  acres  shall  be  located  by  such  assignees 
in  any  one  of  the  states:  And  provided  further ,  That  no  such  location  shall 
be  made  before  one  year  from  the  passage  of  this  act. 

Sec.  3.  And  he  it  further  enacted,  That  all  the  expenses  of  management, 
superintendence  and  taxes  from  date  of  selection  of  said  lands  previous  to 
their  sales,  and  all  expenses  incurred  in  the  management  and  disbursement 
of  the  moneys  which  may  be  received  therefrom,  shall  be  paid  by  the  states 
to  which  they  may  belong,  out  of  the  treasury  of  said  states,  so  that  the  en- 
tire proceeds  of  the  sale  of  said  lands  shall  be  applied  without  any  diminu- 
tion whatever  to  the  purpose  hereinafter  mentioned. 

Sec.  4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  moneys  derived  from  the  sale  of 
the  lands  aforesaid  by  the  states  to  which  the  lands  are  apportioned,  and 
from  the  sales  of  land  scrip  hereinbefore  provided,  shall  be  invested  in  stocks 
of  the  United  States  or  of  the  state,  or  some  other  safe  stocks,  yielding  not 
less  than  5  per  centum  upon  the  par  value  of  said  stocks ;  and  that  the  money 
so  invested  shall  constitute  a  perpetual  fund,  the  capital  of  which  shall  re- 
main forever  undiminished  (except  so  far  as  may  be  provided  in  section  6  of 
this  act) ,  and  the  interest  of  which  shall  be  inviolably  appropriated  by  each 
state  which  may  take  and  claim  the  benefit  of  this  act  to  the  endowment,  sup- 
port and  maintenance  of  at  least  one  college,  where  the  leading  object  shall 
be,  without  excluding  other  scientific  and  classical  studies,  and  including 
military  tactics,  to  teach  such  branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agri- 
culture and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  such  manner  as  the  legislatures  of  the 
states  may  respectively  prescribe,  in  order  to  promote  the  liberal  and  prac- 
tical education  of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and 
professions    in    life. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  grant  of  land  and  land  scrip 
hereby  authorized  shall  be  made  on  the  following  conditions,  to  which,  as 
well  as  to  the  provisions  hereinbefore  contained,  the  previous  assent  of  the 
several  states  shall  be  signified  by  legislative  acts: 

First.  If  any  portion  of  the  fund  invested,  as  provided  by  the  foregoing 
section,  or  any  portion  of  the  interest  thereon,  shall,  by  any  action  or  con- 
tingency, be  diminished  or  lost,  it  shall  be  replaced  by  the  state  to  which  it 
belongs,  so  that  the  capital  of  the  fund  shall  remain  forever  undiminished; 
and  the  annual  interest  shall  be  regularly  applied,  without  diminution,  to 
the  purposes  mentioned  in  the  fourth  section  of  this  act,  except  that  a  sum 
not  exceeding  10  per  centum  upon  the  amount  received  by  any  state  under  the 
provisions  of  this  act  may  be  expended  for  the  purchase  of  lands  for  sites  or 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  25 

experimental  farms,  whenever  authorized    by  the  respective   Legislatures  of 

Said  states. 

Second.  No  portion  of  said  fund,  nor  bhe  interest  thereon,  shall  be  ap- 
plied directly  or  indirectly,  under  any  pretense  whatever,  to  the  purchase, 
erection,  preservation  or  repair  of  any  building  or  buildings. 

Third.     An\    state  which  may  take   and  claim   the   benefit  of  bhe  provisions 

of  this  act  shall  provide,  within  five  years  at  least,  no  less  than  one  college, 

as  described  in  the  fourth  section  of  this  act,  or  the  grant  to  such  slati' shall 
cease:  and  said  state  shall  bo  bound  to  pay  the  United  States  the  amount 
received  on  any  lands  previously  sold,  and  that  the  title  to  purchasers  under 
the  state  shall  be  valid. 

Fourth.  An  annual  report  shall  be  made  regarding  the  progress  of  each 
college,  recording'  any  improvements  and  experiments  made,  with  their  costs 
and  results,  and  such  other  matters,  including'  state  industrial  and  economi- 
cal statistics,  as  may  be  supposed  useful;  one  copy  of  which  shall  be  trans- 
mitted by  mail  free,  by  each,  to  all  the  other  colleges  which  may  be  endowed 
under  the  provisions  of  this  act,  and  also  one  copy  to  the  secretary  of 
the  interior. 

Fifth.  When  lands  shall  be  selected  from  those  which  have  been  raised  to 
double  their  minimum  price,-  in  consequence  of  railroad  grants,  they  shall  be 
computed  to  the  states  at  the  maximum  price,  and  the  number  of  acres  propor- 
tionately diminished. 

Sixth.  No  state  while  in  a  condition  of  rebellion  or  insurrection  against 
the  government  of  the  United  States  shall  be  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  this 
act. 

Seventh.  No  state  shall  be  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  this  act  unless  it  shall 
express  its  acceptance  thereof,  by  its  legislature,  within  two  years  from  the 
date  of  its  approval  by  the  president. 

sec.  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  land  scrip  issued  under  the  provi- 
sions of  this  act  shall  not  be  subject  to  location  until  after  the  first  day  of 
January,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three. 

sec.  7.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  land  officers  shall  receive  the 
same  fee  for  locating  land  scrip  issued  under  the  provisions  of  this  act  as 
is  now  allowed  for  the  location  of  military  bounty  land  warrants  under  the  ex- 
isting laws:  Provided,  Their  maximum  compensation  shall  not  be  thereby 
increased. 

Sec.  8.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  governors  of  the  several  states 
to  which  scrip  shall  be  issued  under  this  act  shall  be  required  to  report  an- 
nually to  Congress  all  sales  made  of  such  scrip  until  the  whole  shall  be  dis- 
posed of,  the  amount  received  for  the  same,  and  what  appropriation  has 
been  made  of  the  proceeds. 

THE  ENDOWMENT. 

Kansas  was  among  the  first  of  the  states  to  accept  the  proffered 
endowment.  The  resolution  of  the  legislature  to  "agree  and  obli- 
gate itself  to  comply  with  all  the  provisions  of  said  act"  was  ap- 
proved by  Governor  Carney  February  3, 1863,  and  the  resolution  to 
accept  the  offer  of  the  trustees  of  Bluemont  Central  College  in  "fee- 
simple"  February  16  of  the  same  year.  Thus  Manhattan  became 
the  seat  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College.  The  following 
are  the  laws  of  the  State  relating  to  these  steps: 


26  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

Joint  Resolution  accepting  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  Congress,  entitled  "An  act  donating 
public  lands  to  the  several  states  and  territories  which  may  provide  colleges  for  the  ben- 
efit of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,"  approved  July  2,  1862. 

Bt  it  resolved  by  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

That  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress,  entitled  "An  act  donating-  pub- 
lic lands  to  the  several  states  and  territories  which  may  provide  colleges  for 
the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,"  approved  July  2,  1862,  are 
hereby  accepted  by  the  State  of  Kansas;  and  the  State  hereby  agrees  and 
obligates  itself  to  comply  with  all  the  provisions  of  said  act. 

Resolved,  That  upon  the  approval  of  this  act  by  the  governor,  he  is  here- 
by instructed  to  transmit  a  certified  copy  of  the  same  to  the  secretary  of  state 
and  secretary  of  the  interior  of  the  United  States. 

An  Act  to  locate  and  establish  a  college  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts . 

Whereas,  The  Congress  of  the  United  States,  by  an  act  approved  July 
2,  1862,  and  entitled  "An  act  donating  public  lands  to  the  several  states  and 
territories  which  may  provide  colleges  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts,"  granted  to  the  State  of  Kansas,  upon  certain  conditions, 
90,000  acres  of  public  lands  for  the  endowment,  support  and  maintenance  of 
a  college,  where  the  leading  object  shall  be,  without  excluding  other  scien- 
tific and  classical  studies,  and  including-  military  tactics,  to  teach  such 
branches  of  learning  as  are  related  to  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,  in 
order  to  promote  the  liberal  and  practical  education  of  the  industrial  classes 
in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life;  and 

Whereas,  The  State  of  Kansas  by  its  legislature  has  expressed  its  accept- 
ance of  the  benefits  of  the  said  act  of  Congress,  and  has  agreed  to  fulfill  the 
conditions  therein  contained  :    therefore, 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

Section  1.  That  the  College,  in  the  foregoing  preamble  mentioned,  be 
and  the  same  is  hereby  permanently  located  at  and  upon  a  certain  tract  of 
land,  situated  and  being  located  in  the  county  of  Riley  and  the  state  afore- 
said, and  bounded  and  described  as  follows:  Commencing  at  a  point  40  rods 
east  of  the  northeast  corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  number  12,  in 
township  number  10  south,  and  range  number  7  east  of  the  sixth  principal 
meridian;  thence  running  south,  parallel  to  the  east  line  of  said  quarter-sec- 
tion, 80  rods;  thence  west  200  rods,  more  or  less,  to  the  west  line  of  said 
quarter-section;  thence  north  on  the  west  line  of  said  quarter-section  80  rods, 
to  the  north  line  of  said  quarter-section;  thence  east  200  rods,  on  the  north 
line  of  said  quarter-section,  to  the  point  of  beginning,  containing  100  acres: 
Provided,  however,  That  the  location  of  said  College,  as  aforesaid,  is  upon 
this  express  condition,  that  the  Bluemont  Central  College  Association,  in 
whom  the  title  of  said  land  is  now  vested,  shall  within  six  months  from  and 
after  the  approval  of  the  governor  hereto,  cede  to  the  State  of  Kansas,  in  fee- 
simple,  the  real  estate  above  described,  together  with  all  buildings  and  ap- 
purtenances thereunto  belonging;  and  shall,  within  such  time,  transfer  and 
deliver  to  said  State  the  apparatus  and  library  belonging  to  said  Bluemont 
Central  College  Association. 

SEC.  2.  The  governor  of  the  State  is  hereby  authorized  to  receive  the 
title  papers  by  which  the  foregoing  mentioned  property  may  be  transferred  to 
the  State,  and  to  cause  the  same  to  be  duly  recorded  in  the  proper  office,  and 
to  be  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  auditor  of  state. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  27 

SEO.  ^>.    This   EtOt  shall    !»<■   published   twice  in   some  newspaper   printed    ;it 

Topeka,  and  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  such  publication. 

Took  e£feot  February  L9,  L863. 
a  n  a.ot  bo  provide  for  the  location  <>r  lands  granted  to  the  Sta  te  bj  act  oi  <  longress  approved 

July  2,  1888,  and  making  an  appropriation  therefor. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

SECTION  1.  The  governor  is  hereby  authorized  to  appoint  three  com- 
missioners to  select  and  locate  the  lands  to  which  the  State  is  entitled  under 
the  act  of  Congress  approved  July  2,  1862,  entitled  "An  act  donating  public 
lands  to  the  several  states  and  territories  which  may  provide  colleges  for 
the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts;"  and  such  commissioners 
are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  take  any  and  all  steps  necessary  to 
the  complete  location  of  said  lands. 

Sec.  2.  Each  commissioner  shall  receive  the  sum  of  $3  per  day  for  every 
day's  actual  service,  and  his  reasonable  expenses;  and  the  auditor  is  hereby 
directed  to  issue  warrants  on  the  treasury  for  the  same  upon  an  account, 
properly  verified  under  oath,  being  filed  in  his  office.  The  commissioners 
shall  make  a  report  to  the  governor  of  all  their  proceedings  under  this  act, 
to  be  transmitted  by  his  excellency  to  the  next  legislature. 

Sec.  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage. 

Approved  March  3,  1863. 

Three  commissioners  were  immediately  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor to  select  the  lands.  The  grant  gave  90,000  acres ;  but  as  a 
portion  of  the  selected  tracts  supposed  to  be  within  the  railroad 
limits  counted  double,  the  College  received  but  82,313.52  acres. 
In  the  fall  of  1866,  Hon.  J.  M.  Harvey  commenced  the  appraisal  of 
these  lands,  and  July  27,  1867,  reported  his  work  completed. 
Hon.  I.  T.  Goodnow  was  appointed  land  agent,  Hon.  S.  D.  Houston 
having,  as  temporary  agent,  previously  sold  a  few  acres.  Mr. 
Goodnow  held  the  office  until  the  reorganization  of  the  College  in 
1873,  and  sold  about  42,000  acres  for  about  $180,000.  His  successor, 
L.  R.  Elliott,  held  the  office  of  land  agent  from  1873  to  1883,  and 
sold  over  32,000  acres  for  about  $240,000.  The  remainder,  some 
8000  acres,  was  sold  for  over  $30,000  by  Mr.  J.  B.  Gifford,  who 
held  the  office  of  land  agent  until  after  all  the  land  was  sold, 
in  1888.  The  total  fund  derived  from  these  sales  is  $492,381.36,  all 
of  which,  except  unpaid  land  contracts,  is  invested  in  Kansas  school 
and  municipal  bonds,  paying  6  per  cent  interest.  The  State  has 
made  good  losses  from  this  fund  by  unfortunate  investment  or 
fraud  to  the  amount  of  $6039.57. 

The  deficiency  of  7686.48  acres  in  the  amount  of  land  received 
by  the  College  was  closely  inquired  into,  and  the  still  valid  claim 
was  presented  before  the  Department  of  the  Interior  by  Hon.  S.J. 
Crawford,  in  1880,  and  again  in  1887,  with  added  proof  of  its  char- 
acter, afforded  by  later  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.     When  the  secretary  of  the  interior  refused  to  re- 


28  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

open  the  case  decided  adversely  in  1880,  the  matter  was  brought  to 
the  attention  of  Congress  by  a  joint  resolution  offered  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  by  Hon.  John  A.  Anderson  (the  second  presi- 
dent of  the  College — now  a  member  of  the  House),  granting  to  the 
State  the  privilege  of  selecting  from  public  lands  still  unsold  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  State  the  amount  needed  to  make  up  the  loss 
from  the  original  90,000  acres.  The  resolution  was  favorably  re- 
ported by  the  committee  on  public  lands,  and  passed  both  Houses 
without  objection.  President  Cleveland,  however,  vetoed  it  upon 
the  ground  that  this  State,  having  selected  lands  which  fell  within 
the  limits  of  the  railroad,  afterwards  located,  had  received  all  to 
which  it  was  rightly  entitled. 

But  the  feeling  that  the  College  was  right  in  its  contention  for 
the  full  allotment  of  land  prevailed  in  College  circles  and  prompted 
future  boards  and  the  congressmen  from  this  congressional  district 
to  bring  the  matter  before  Congress  at  every  opportunity,  and  in 
the  spring  session  of  1907,  more  than  forty-five  years  after  the  pas- 
sage of  the  original  land-grant  act,  their  efforts  were  crowned 
with  success.  Congressman  Calderhead  succeeded  in  passing  the 
grant  through  both  Houses,  and  President  Roosevelt  approved  it. 

THE  FORT  HAYS  RESERVATION. 

In  February,  1900,  the  Agricultural  College  received  another 
valuable  donation  from  Congress — a  part  of  the  old  Port  Hays 
reservation  in  Ellis  county — for  the  purpose  of  establishing  an 
experiment  station.  The  fort  was  established  in  the  early  sixties 
and  was  at  one  time  an  impoi  tant  frontier  post,  but  in  1887  it  had 
become  unnecessary  for  the  protection  of  pioneer  settlers  and 
was  abandoned.  Hays  City  had  made  efforts  ever  since  to  turn 
it  into  something  that  would  benefit  the  town.  It  was  first 
wanted  for  a  soldiers'  home,  but  the  plan  failed,  the  home  going 
to  Dodge  City.  In  1895  the  present  bill  was  framed  and 
passed  in  both  Houses  of  Congress,  but  failed  to  get  the  signature 
of  President  Cleveland.  Other  attempts  were  made,  and  failed 
to  advance  even  that  far.  The  part  of  the  reservation  given  to 
the  College  contains  about  3000  acres  of  fine  prairie  land,  but  the 
buildings  were  mostly  dilapidated  lumber  barracks  of  practically 
no  value.  A  copy  of  the  bill  giving  the  reservation  to  the  College 
will  be  found  in  Chapter  XVI,  and  an  historic  item  pertaining  to 
the  frontier  life  in  old  Hays,  in  Chapter  XVII. 

CONGRESSIONAL    APPROPRIATIONS. 

In  March,  1887,  Congress  passed  the  so-called  "Hatch  bill," 
which  provided  for  the  organization  in  each  state  of  a  station  for 
agricultural  experiments,  and  gave  to  each  station  an  annual  appro- 
priation of  $15,000  for  this  purpose.     The  legislature  designated 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  29 

this  College  as  the  proper  place  for  such  experimental  work,  and 

the  institution  has  received  since  April,  L888,  when  the  first  pay- 
ment was  made,  $8*2,500  from  this  source.     Further  particulars 
with  regard  to  this  appropriation,  and  the  valuable  work  which  it 
has  enabled  the  College  to  do  in  the  interest  of  western  agricul 
ture,  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  historical  sketch. 

On  August  30,  1890,  another  act  was  passed  by  Congress,  the  so 
called  "College  aid  bill,"  an  act  applying  a  portion  of  the  proceeds 
of  the  public  lands  to  the  more  complete  endowment  and  support 
of  the  colleges  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts 
established  under  the  provisions  of  the  Morrill  act.  It  provides 
for  an -annual  appropriation,  beginning  with  $15,000  for  1890,  with 
an  annual  increase  for  ten  years  by  an  additional  sum  of  $1000 
over  the  preceding  year,  the  annual  amount  thereafter  to  each 
state  to  be  $25,000.  A  copy  of  this  bill  will  be  found  in  Chapter  X 
of  this  volume,  together  with  some  facts  pertaining  to  its  history. 

In  1906  the  fifty-ninth  Congress  passed  the  so-called  "Adams 
Bill, "  an  act  adding  to  the  annual  appropriation  for  state  experi- 
ment stations  $5000  for  the  year  ending  1906,  and  an  annual  in- 
crease of  this  amount  for  five  years  by  an  additional  sum  of  $2000 
over  the  preceding  year  till  the  total  of  the  annual  appropriation 
under  this  act  shall  amount  to  $15,000.  A  copy  of  this  act  will  be 
found  in  Chapter  XVI  of  this  history. 

STATE   APPROPRIATIONS   AND   BONDS. 

In  miscellaneous  appropriations,  the  College  has  received  from 
the  State,  since  its  organization,  something  over  one  and  three- 
fourths  million  dollars.  The  township  of  Manhattan,  in  1871,  do- 
nated $12,000  in  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  buying  the  present 
farm.  The  appropriations  of  1866-70  were  first  made  in  shape 
of  a  loan,  but  were  donated  again  in  1870.  Up  to  1893  the  total 
amount  was  only  $312,700.56,  but  after  that  date  the  State  be- 
came more  liberal.  The  following  table  gives  the  totals  received 
from  legislative  appropriations,  exclusive  of  the  items  of  per  diem 
and  mileage  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  fuel  from  the  State  peniten- 
tiary, printing  and  binding  done  in  the  State  printing-office,  com- 
missions paid  to  land  agents,  incidental  fees  paid  by  students,  and 
profits  made  from  the  sale  of  farm  products  : 

UNDER  PRESIDENT  DENISON,  1863-73. 

1864,  Annual  Session $  2,700  00 

1885.  Annual  Session 3,200  00 

1866,  Annual  Session 5,500  00 

1867,  Annual  Session ■ 12,700  00 

1868,  Annual  Session 8,715  00 

1869,  Annual  Session 8,819  00 

1872,  Annual  Session 15,000  00 

1873,  Annual   Session 23,000  00 

Total $79,634  00 


30  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

UNDER  PRESIDENT  ANDERSON,  1873-79. 

1874,  Annual  Session $28,083  23 

1875,  Annual  Session 13,675  24 

1876,  Annual  Session  . . .' 15,300  00 

1877,  Biennial  Session 20,729  09 

1879,  Biennial  Session 1,500  00 

Total $  78,287  56 

UNDER  PRESIDENT  FAIRCHILD,  1879-'97. 

1881,  Biennial  Session $52,729  09 

1883.  Biennial  Session 25,500  00 

1885^  Biennial  Session 16,800  44 

1887,  Biennial  Session 26,931  79 

1889,  Biennial  Session 15,024  91 

1891,  Biennial  Session 12,875  75 

1893.  Biennial  Session 77,674  00 

1895,  Biennial  Session 33,690  00 

1897,  Biennial  Session 39,178  00 

Total $300,403  98 

UNDER  PRESIDENT  WILL,  1897-'99. 

1899,  Biennial  Session $125,593  00 

UNDER  PRESIDENT  NICHOLS,  1899-'08. 

1901,  Biennial  Session $180,000  00 

1903,  Biennial  Session ...  239,660  00 

1905,  Biennial  Session 260,000  00 

1907,  Biennial  Session 549,000  00 

Total $1,228,660  00 

Nearly  two-thirds  of  the  grand  total  of  these  legislative  appro- 
priations for  the  thirty-seven  years,  from  1863  to  1909,  were  re- 
ceived during  the  time  of  Pres.  E.  R.  Nichols.  The  appropriations 
for  1909- '10  are  not  made  at  this  writing.  They  will  undoubtedly 
increase  the  amount  received  by  the  College  during  the  Nichols 
period  to  over  two  million  dollars. 

The  legislature  of  1903  also  added  $500  to  the  income  of  the 
president,  in  form  of  a  traveling  and  incidental  fund,  and  es- 
tablished an  incidental  fee  of  $3  per  term  for  students  from  Kan- 
sas, a  matriculation  fee  of  $10  and  an  incidental  fee  of  $10  per 
term  for  students  from  other  states.  Many  statements  concerning 
the  details  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  College  will  be  found 
scattered  throughout  the  pages  of  this  book. 

In  June,  1908,  the  inventory  of  the  College  amounted  to  a  total 
of  $1,077,829.29;  that  is,  to  over  one-half  of  the  appropriations  re- 
ceived in  the  thirty-four  years.  If  the  lands  and  buildings  of  the 
institution  were  appraised  at  their  full  value  a  much  stronger 
statement  could  be  made.  It  might  be  said  that  so  far  the  College 
has  paid  its  expenses  practically  out  of  the  bountiful  pocket  of  the 
general  government. 


82  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL,   COLLEGE 


IV. 

THE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE  IN   1863— FROM   1863  TO   1873- STATE   APPROPRIA- 
TIONS AND  PERMANENT  IMPROVEMENTS  DURING  THE  FIRST  DECADE. 

IT  IS  natural  that  the  College  should  have  remained  for  a  time, 
as  it  did,  under  the  care  of  its  founders  and  generous  dona- 
tors,  and  should  have  conformed  to  the  ideal  before  their  minds. 
The  charter  provided  for  four  departments  —  science  and  litera- 
ture, mechanic  arts,  agriculture,  and  military  tactics.  Of  these, 
that  of  science  and  literature  was  put  in  operation.  The  course 
was  laid  out  to  cover  four  years,  with  an  indefinite  preparatory, 
and  conformed  closely  with  that  of  Bluemont  Central  College.  The 
first  catalogue  gives  the  names  of  ninety-four  students  in  the  Pre- 
paratory Department  and  fourteen  in  the  College  proper.  Seventy- 
four  were  from  Riley  county.  The  Faculty  consisted  of  Rev.  Jo- 
seph Denison,  D.  D.,  A.  M.,  president  and  professor  of  ancient  lan- 
guages and  mental  and  moral  sciences;  J.  G.  Schnebly,  A.  M.,  pro- 
fessor of  natural  science;  Rev.  N.  O.  Preston,  A.  M.,  professor  of 
mathematics  and  English  literature;  Jeremiah  Evarts  Piatt,  prin- 
cipal of  Preparatory  Department;  Miss  Belle  Haines,  assistant 
teacher  in  the  Preparatory  Department;  and  Mrs.  Eliza  C.  Beck- 
with,  teacher  of  instrumental  music.  The  following  is  a  copy  of 
the  first  circular  issued  by  the  College: 

The  first  term  of  this  institution  as  now  organized  by  the  authorities  of 
the  State,  under  a  board  of  experienced  and  competent  professors  and 
teachers,  will  commence  September  2,  1863,  and  continue  thirteen  weeks. 
The  Department  of  Music,  both  vocal  and  instrumental,  will  soon  be  organ- 
ized, of  which  notice  will  be  given  in  due  time. 

Every  possible  effort  will  be  made  to  make  the  facilities  for  acquiring  a 
full  and  thorough  education  in  this  institution  equal  to  those  of  any  other 
in  the  country.  Its  government  will  be  firm,  but  mild  and  parental.  Its  aim 
will  be  to  promote  the  highest  welfare  of  the  student,  physical,  mental  and 
moral.  Females  as  well  as  males  will  be  admitted  to  all  the  advantages  of 
the  institution.  Special  instruction  to  those  preparing  to  teach.  All  prop- 
er attention  will  be  given  to  subjects  relating  to  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture. A  course  of  lectures  on  practical  farming  and  kindred  subjects  from 
competent  men  may  be  expected  during  the  term. 

The  President  of  the  institution  will  lecture  on  important  subjects.  Prof. 
J.  G.  Schnebly  will  lecture  on  subjects  illustrated  by  the  magic  lantern,  in- 
cluding astronomy,  natural  history,  etc.:  Prof.  I.  T.  Goodnow,  on  inorganic, 
organic  and  agricultural  chemistry. 

Rates  of  tuition  for  term  of  thirteen  weeks,  to  be  paid  in  advance:  Com- 
mon English  branches,  four  dollars.  Higher  English,  algebra,  geometry, 
languages,  etc.,  five  dollars.  Music  on  melodeon,  eight  dollars;  piano,  ten 
dollars.  Incidental  expenses,  for  fuel,  sweeping,  and  bell-ringing,  fifty 
cents. 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  33 

Special  exercises  ld  riding1  on  horseback,  calisthenics,  gymnastics,  etc., 
tending  to  promote  the  health  and  manners  of  the  student,  will   be  jjiven 

without  c\t pa  charge. 

Board  in  private  families,  Prom  two  to  three  dollars  per  week. 

FROM   L863  TO  1st:;. 

During  the  first  ten  years  the  College  grew  slowly.  Up  to  L873, 
only  fifteen  students  had  graduated,  while  the  number  of  students 
in  attendance  during  any  one  term  never  reached  125,  and  these 
were  mostly  from  Riley  and  the  adjoining  counties.  Some  of  the 
efforts  made  by  the  Faculty  to  populate  the  empty  school  benches 
seem  almost  incredible  at  the  present  time.  "At  a  Board  meeting, 
December  2,  1863,  President  Denison  stated  that  he  had  entered 
into  a  contract  with  the  board  of  directors  of  the  district  school  of 
the  place  to  have  their  scholars  instructed  during  the  winter  in  the 
College — principally  in  the  Preparatory  Department  of  the  institu- 
tion— for  the  sum  of  $130.  At  the  same  meeting,  Mr.  Jeremiah 
Evarts  Piatt  was  elected  to  a  professorship  in  the  Preparatory  De- 
partment and  professor  of  vocal  music,  at  a  salary  of  $800  per 
annum."     (Report  of  state  commissioners,  1873.) 

The  catalogue  for  1868  gives  the  number  of  students  present  in 
the  winter  term  as  eighty-three  and  the  report  for  the  fiscal  year 
ending  November  30,  1871,  states  the  number  of  students  then 
present  in  the  different  departments  as  one  hundred  nineteen — 
sixty-four  gentlemen  and  fifty-five  ladies.  Of  the  students  in  the 
College  course  proper,  in  the  fall  term  of  1871,  fourteen  were  in 
the  Literary  Department  and  ten  in  the  agricultural  and  scientific 
course.  The  number  of  counties  of  the  State  represented  by  stu- 
dents in  the  three  terms  of  the  year  1870  was  twenty-two,  and 
the  number  of  other  states,  six.  In  1871 — i.  e.,  in  the  common 
year,  not  in  the  school  year — twenty-seven  counties  and  seven 
states  were  represented. 

The  reasons  for  this  slow  growth  must  be  looked  for  in  many 
directions :  The  newness  of  the  State,  the  western  location  of 
Manhattan,  the  inadequacy  of  means,  the  founding  of  rival  liter- 
ary institutions  at  Lawrence,  Baldwin,  Topeka,  etc.,  and  the  fact 
that  industrial  education  was  in  its  experimental  stage.  Presi- 
dent Denison  and  a  majority  of  the  professors  were  classic  stu- 
dents, and  had  no  faith  in  the  educational  results  of  technical 
instruction  not  connected  with  the  classics.  They  planned  to  add 
elective  work  in  practical  science  and  applied  mathematics  to  the 
"old  education,"  but  it  was  intended  to  supplement,  and  not  sup- 
plant, this.  The  introduction  of  obligatory  daily  manual  labor  as 
an.  educational  factor  was  not  attempted.     Aside  from  occasional 


34  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

lectures  on  general  topics,  little  was  done  for  agriculture  and  the 
mechanic  arts,  and  the  increasingly  frequent  demands  for  an  in- 
stitution that  would  educate  towards,  instead  of  away  from,  the 
farm  and  the  workshop  were  met  with  uncertain  promises.  The 
Board,  largely  composed  of  professional  men,  must  have  held  sim- 
ilar views,  though  the  report  of  the  State  commissioners  of  1873 
says  that  "attempts  were  made  by  members  of  this  body  at  dif- 
ferent times  to  change  the  curriculum  of  study,  and  in  other  re- 
spects to  alter  the  running  of  the  College  so  as  to  make  it  conform 
more  nearly  to  the  demands  of  the  people." 

It  should  not  be  assumed,  however,  that  the  institution  failed  of 
doing  good  work  in  its  class  rooms.  The  Literary  Department 
was  second  to  no  higher  school  of  the  kind  in  the  State.  The  cata- 
logue of  1868- '69  states  that  up  to  that  time  the  College  had  edu- 
cated at  least  eighty  teachers  for  the  public  schools.  A  consider- 
able number  of  ministers,  especially  of  the  M.  E.  church,  which 
still  considered  the  institution  as  its  protege,  and  reported  it  as 
such  at  the  annual  conferences,  also  received  their  education  here. 
Nor  were  the  sciences  entirely  neglected.  Benjamin  F.  Mudge, 
A.  M.,  called  to  the  chair  of  natural  science  in  1865,  was  an  enthu- 
siastic teacher  and  an  untiring  explorer.  Aided  by  some  of  his 
pupils,  one  of  whom  is  now  professor  of  anthropology  in  Chi- 
cago University,  Professor  Mudge  made  a  large  collection  of 
geological  specimens  and  donated  it  to  the  College,  where  it  formed 
a  nucleus  of  the  present  museum.  Being  the  first  "take"  in  the 
new  State,  it  contained  many  specimens  which  could  not  have  been 
acquired  later.  (A  biographical  sketch  of  Professor  Mudge  will 
be  found  in  Chapter  V.) 

APPROPRIATIONS   FOR  1863-1873. 

During  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Denison  the  College  received 
appropriations  by  the  State  to  the  amount  of  $77,468.85.  There 
were  appropriated,  exclusive  of  pay  of  Regents  and  of  Land  and 
Loan  Agents: 

For  1864 $  2,802  25 

For  1865 3,316  50 

For  1867 18,011  10 

For  1868 6,420  00 

For  1869 8,919  00 

For  1872 15,000  00 

For  1873 23,000  00 

In  miscellaneous  appropriations  for  1871  the  College  was  g  ven 
$2700,  but  the  amount,  for  reasons  not  known  to  the  writer,  was 
never  drawn.  Quite  the  reverse  seems  to  have  happened  in  1866. 
In  the  Session  Laws  of  1867,  page  3,  section  2,  it  is  seen  that  there 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  35 

was  loaned  to  the  College  in  L866thesum  of  $5500,  but  the  Laws  of 
L866  contain  no  act  making  such  appropriation.  The  Auditor's 
books  show  that  it  was  for  deficiency  of  professors'  salaries  for 
the  years  1864,  L865,  and  part  of  1866. 

In  the  appropriation  act  of  1867  a  condition  was  inserted,  viz.: 
"The  said  sum  to  be  taken  and  deemed  a  loan  from  the  State  of 
Kansas  to  the  State  Agricultural  College,  to  be  reimbursed  to  the 
State  after  the  State  shall  have  been  reimbursed  for  the  $5500  lent 
to  said  College  for  the  year  1866." 

An  act  approved  March  1,  1870,  contains  the  following: 

Whereas,  The  State  of  Kansas  has  heretofore  advanced  as  a  loan  from 
time  to  time  the  several  sums  necessary  to  pay  the  salaries  of  professors  in 
said  College,  thus  complying  with  the  condition  that  the  institution  should 
go  into  active  operation  within  a  limited  time,  and  securing  its  benefits  to  the 
earlier  pioneer  settlers  in  the  commonwealth:  therefore, 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

Section  1.  That  the  several  sums  advanced  to  pay  the  professors  in  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  from  the  year  1863  to  the  year  1869,  in- 
clusive, be  and  the  same  are  hereby  donated  to  said  College,  together  with 
all  interest  that  may  have  accrued  on  said  sums:  Provided,  That  the 
amount  hereby  donated  shall  be  used  as  the  Board  of  Regents  of  said  College 
may  direct :  to  purchase  additional  lands  for  the  College  farm ;  to  erect  build- 
ings; and  to  develop  the  Agricultural  Department  of  said  College:  And 
provided,  That  the  sum  of  $1500  may  be  appropriated  from  said  donation  for 
the  purchase  of  a  proper  set  of  arms  and  accoutrements  for  the  use  of  the 
drill  class  in  the  Military  Department  required  by  law  in  said  College. 

Sec.  2.  The  treasurer  of  the  Board  of  Regents  is  hereby  authorized  to 
pay  upon  the  orders  of  said  Regents  an  amount  equal  to  the  sum  donated  by 
this  act  to  said  College  out  of  any  interest  upon  the  endowment  fund  that 
may  at  any  time  be  in  his  hands  in  excess  of  orders  then  due  for  professors' 
salaries :  Provided,  That  if  any  order  drawn  upon  said  treasurer  on  account 
of  the  donation  made  by  this  act  shall  not  be  paid  on  presentation,  said  treas- 
urer shall  indorse  thereon,  "Not  paid  for  want  of  funds:"  and  any  order 
thus  indorsed  shall  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  seven  per  cent  per  annum 
until  paid. 

Immediately  after  the  approval  of  this  act,  the  Board  of  Regents 
had  engraved  or  lithographed  364  pieces  of  scrip,  so-called  "Col- 
lege greenbacks,"  of  the  denomination  of  $100  each,  made  payable 
at  different  times  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  beginning  July  1, 
1870.  These  orders  were  used  in  purchasing  the  farm  and  sup- 
plies for  the  same,  for  boarding-house  repairs,  and  for  improve- 
ments of  various  kinds.  On  December  22,  1871,  the  issue  of  this 
depreciated  paper  was  stopped  by  the  Board  of  Regents,  but  the 
$33,700  already  issued  proved  a  serious  burden  to  the  institution 
for  many  years,  on  account  of  the  high  rate  of  interest  which  pre- 
vailed at  that  time  in  Kansas.  The  greater  part  of  this  obligation 
( $  28, 258. 23 )  was  paid  in  1874  and  1875 — i. e. ,  after  the  reorganization 


36  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

— but  the  remainder  drew  interest  until  1881,  when  President 
Pair  child  succeeded  in  convincing  the  legislature  that  it  was  their 
duty  to  provide  for  its  cancellation. 

The  board  of  State  commissioners,  in  their  reports  for  1873 
and  1874,  intimate  that  the  existence  of  the  College  greenback 
was  the  result  of  the  incapacity  of  the  management,  and  the  legis- 
lature placed  the  charge  heavily  upon  the  shoulders  of  President 
Denison  and  his  associates;  but  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  State  refused  to  make  appropriations  to  the  College  for  1866, 
1870,  and  1871,  and  that  a  public  institution  cannot,  like  an  or- 
chid, live  on  Kansas  air  and  rain-water.  As  a  State  institution, 
it  ought  to  have  been  sustained  or  abolished. 

IMPROVEMENTS  MADE  IN  1863-1873. 

The  following  is  a  short  synopsis  of  the  material  signs  of  prog- 
ress and  growth  during  the  period:  A  library  of  nearly  3000 
volumes  was  accumulated,  chiefly  through  the  efforts  of  Hon.  I.  T. 
Goodnow,  who  wrote  hundreds  of  soliciting  letters  to  Eastern  pub- 
lishers, philanthropists,  and  personal  friends.  In  1867  eiglity  acres 
of  the  farm  were  enclosed  by  a  stone  wall,  a  few  acres  having  previ- 
ously been  broken.  In  the  same  year  a  capacious  student  boarding 
hall  was  built  by  resident  parties,  but,  proving  a  poor  financial  in- 
vestment, it  was  afterwards  "urged"  upon  the  College.  At  the 
time  of  its  erection  the  building  met  an  evident  want;  but,  costing 
the  College  over  $10,000,  at  a  time  when  this  was  financially  embar- 
rassed, the  purchase  was  a  misfortune.  In  1875,  when  the  Col- 
lege was  removed  to  the  new  farm,  the  hall  became  entirely  use- 
less, until,  in  1889,  after  having  been  sold  to  a  private  party  for 
$1000,  a  fire  devoured  its  rotten  floors  and  roofs  and  calcined  its 
crumbling  walls.  In  1868  a  forest  plantation  was  commenced  and 
an  orchard  planted.  The  former  contained  some  200  varieties  of 
trees,  many  of  which  were  entirely  new  to  the  prairie  country, 
and  have  since  then  proved  very  valuable.  The  orchard  was 
planted  by  Mr.  Samuel  Cutter,  of  Vinton,  at  an  expense  of  fifty 
cents  per  tree.  In  the  winter  of  1868- '69,  the  legislature  made  its 
first  outright  appropriation,  of  $200,  for  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment, restricting  its  use  to  the  purchase  of  plants,  seeds,  and 
agricultural  implements.  "As  a  matter  of  interest,  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  same  legislature  appropriated  $1400  to  furnish  to- 
bacco to  the  convicts  in  the  penitentiary."  In  1869  the  broken 
portions  of  the  farm  were  rented  to  Col.  Prank  Campbell,  the 
steward  of  the  College  boarding  hall.  In  1870  Prof.  J.  S. 
Hougham,  the  first  teacher  of  agriculture  and  chemistry,  planted 
the  first  crop,  consisting  of  oats,  barley,  and  corn;  but  "the  oats 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  87 

and  barley  grew  only  sis  to  eight  inches  tall,  and  the  corn  was  all 
but  destroyed  by  chinch  bugs."  The  next  crop  did  much  better, 
though.       k'ln  August  Of  the  same  year  the  ground    was  sown    to 

wheat,  and  in  1871  gave  a  yield  of  forty-three  and  one  half  bushels 
per  acre." 

It  had  long  become  apparent  to  the  Board  of  Regents  that  the 
dry  and  stony  piece  of  upland  upon  which  the  College  building 
stood  was  unsuited  for  the  purpose  of  conducting  agricultural  and 
horticultural  experiments.  The  humus  crust  was  thin  and  poor, 
and  the  subsoil  a  perfect  gravel  bed,  cemented  together  by  a  tough, 
yellow  clay.  The  final  result  of  many  discussions  of  the  matter 
was,  that  in  July,  1871,  two  valuable  tracts  of  land  were  purchased. 
One  of  these,  the  so-called  "Ingraham  place,"  consisting  of  80  acres 
of  very  fine  bottom  land  on  the  Wildcat  creek,  about  two  miles 
southwest  of  the  College,  was  never  used,  but  was  sold  in  1880. 
The  other,  adjoining  the  city  of  Manhattan,  and  containing  nearly 
a  quarter- section — a  beautifully  located  tract  of  land — became  the 
site  of  the  present  College.  Of  this,  the  northwest  quarter,  about 
40  acres,  was  bought  of  Mrs.  Preston,  the  widow  of  Prof.  N.  O. 
Preston,  who,  in  February,  1866,  had  died  from  apoplexy  in  the 
class  room;  the  northeast  quarter,  about  40  acres,  was  bought 
from  Prof.  E.  Gale;  and  the  south  half,  about  75  acres,  was  bought 
from  Mr.  Foster.  The  total  cost  was  $29,832.71  in  scrip.  The  city 
of  Manhattan,  frightened  over  the  repeated  attempts  of  zealous 
friends  of  the  State  University,  at  Lawrence,  to  consolidate  the 
Agricultural  College  with  that  institution,  contributed  $12,000, 
the  result  of  a  bond  election.  A  solid  stone  fence  was  built  around 
the  whole  tract,  and  the  erection  of  a  large  barn  commenced — a 
broad-corniced,  massive  looking  stone  structure,  with  numerous 
wings,  towers,  stairways,  elevators,  and  offices.  The  barn  was 
never  completed,  however,  and  the  finished  west  wing  served  its 
purpose  for  a  short  time  only.  It  was  afterwards,  under  Pres. 
John  A.  Anderson,  turned  into  a  class  room  building,  and  still 
later,  under  Pres.  Geo.  T.  Fairchild,  into  a  drill  hall  and  museum. 

In  1871  Fred  E.  Miller  was  appointed  professor  of  agriculture, 
and  means  were  provided  for  the  purchase  of  stock,  teams,  and 
implements.  The  foundation  was  laid  for  a  herd  of  shorthorns, 
which  still  remains  the  pride  of  the  College.  In  the  following 
year  a  Veterinary  Department  was  organized,  and  put  under  the 
management  of  Prof.  H.  J.  Detmers,  V.  S.,  a  German  by  birth  and 
education,  who  has  since  then  become  an  authority  on  the  conta- 
gious diseases  of  the  hog,  but  the  department  was  discontinued  in 
1874,  for  want  of   means    and   room.     A  Military  Department 


38 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


organized  some  years  previous,  and  provided  by  the  government 
with  a  teacher  in  the  person  of  Brevet  Gen.  J.  M.  Davidson,  met 
with  the  same  fate.  The  Veterinary  Department  was  not  revived 
until  1888,  when  a  chair  of  veterinary  science  and  physiology  was 
created.  The  Military  Department  fared  some  better,  in  dating 
its  revival  September  1,  1881.  On  the  whole  the  friends  of  the  in- 
stitution as  well  as  the  people  of  the  State  were  much  divided  as 
to  the  work  that  the  Agricultural  College  should  do.  President 
Denison,  the  Faculty  and  the  Board  were  satisfied  that  a  college 
education  would  not  amount  to  much  without  latin  and  other  so- 
called  culture  work,  while  practical  men  in  different  parts  of  the 
State  demanded  that  more  attention  should  be  given  to  the  sci- 
ences. On  December  14, 1867,  the  Hon.  James  Humphrey,  of  Man- 
hattan (later  of  Junction  City),  published  in  the  Junction  City 
Union  a  column  communication  concerning  the  College,  in  which 
he  said : 

"It  is  quite  evident  that  schools  of  science  rather  than  classical  colleges 
were  intended  to  be  established.  The  investigation  of  natural  phenomena — 
the  laws  of  nature — the  teaching  of  mathematical  and  physical  sciences  and 
their  practical  relations  and  bearings  to  the  agricultural  and  mechanic  arts 
were  to  constitute  the  leading  objects  of  these  institutions.  While  classical 
studies  may  be  pursued,  those  branches  must  be  taught.  The  industrial  in- 
terests of  the  State  deserve  the  fostering  care  of  such  a  school  as  was  con- 
templated by  the  act  of  Congress." 

Many  other  public  men  wrote  in  a  similar  strain. 


The  Main  Drive. 


Kansas  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  39 


v. 

PRESIDENT  DENISON  AND  INS  COLLABORATORS— PROF.  B.  I\  MUDGE      HON.  [.  T. 
GOODNOW  —  PROF.  .1 .  S.  BOUGHAM      PROF.  E.  GALE. 

AMAIN  obstacle  to  the  growth  of  the  College,  not  only  during 
its  first  decade,  but  during  its  whole  existence  up  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  was  the  scarcity  of  properly  trained  and  experienced  in- 
structors of  the  sciences,  which  necessarily  form  a  main  part  of  the 
curriculum  of  every  technical  school.  The  chronic  deficit  in  the 
treasury  of  the  institution  during  its  forty-seven  years  of  existence 
has  not  only  prevented  the  Board  of  Regents  from  going  into  the 
Eastern  market  for  good  men,  it  often  made  it  impossible  to  hold 
experienced  teachers  whom  the  College  had  produced.  The  follow- 
ing clipping  from  the  Manhattan  Standard  of  1871  gives  an  interest- 
ing glimpse  into  the  conditions  that  prevailed  three  or  four  decades 
ago: 

"Complaint  has  been  made  because  the  Regents  have  failed  to  secure  the 
services  of  an  agricultural  professor.  We  are  glad  to  see  the  interest  man- 
ifested, even  if  it  be  a  little  overheated.  We  feel  assured,  however,  that  no 
one  will  find  fault  if  he  knows  how  much  time  has  been  spent  in  trying  to 
secure  a  'professor.  In  starting  an  agricultural  department  there  is  a  ne- 
cessity, first,  to  have  the  ground  plowed  and  fenced.  So  anxious  was  the 
president,  Doctor  Denison,  that  he  by  his  own  efforts  raised  $1400  for  this 
object.  When  the  last  legislature  appropriated  a  sufficient  additional 
amount  to  complete  the  fencing  of  the  grounds,  active  exertions  were  im- 
mediately commenced  by  the  Regents  and  Faculty  to  engage  an  agricultural 
professor.  Even  that  able,  enthusiastic  agriculturist,  Judge  L.  D.  Bailey, 
was  employed  to  engage  one.  As  early  as  last  April,  a  gentleman  of  eight 
years'  experience  in  the  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  College  was  elected,  under 
promise  of  accepting  if  chosen.  As  professors  are  not  usually  overstocked 
with  traveling  money,  and  to  render  the  thing  sure,  Doctor  Denison  bor- 
rowed $250  for  the  professor  to  move  on  with!  Untoward  circumstances 
prevented  his  coming  in  the  spring  term,  but  we  were  confidentially  informed 
that  his  services  might  be  had  in  September.  He  even  promised  to  come  on 
a  salary  of  $1500.  The  offer  was  promptly  accepted,  but  again  he  failed  to 
come  to  time.  Numerous  applications  have  been  made  in  other  directions, 
and  still  we  are  without  an  agricultural  professor,  and  from  no  fault  of  the 
Regents  or  the  Faculty.  We  will  add,  however,  that  an  active  correspond- 
ence is  being  held  and  we  hope  soon  to  secure  a  man  worthy  of  the  highest 
and  most  important  professorship  in  the  State." 

At  the  time  of  President  Denison 's  resignation,  in  1873,  the  Fac- 
ulty consisted  of  the  following  members;  Joseph  Denison,  D.  D., 
president,  and  professor  of  history,  political  economy,  and  mental 
and  moral  philosophy.  B.  P.  Mudge,  A.  M.,  professor  of  the  nat- 
ural sciences.     Rev.  J.  EL  Lee,  A.  M. ,  professor  of  Latin  and  Eng- 


40  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

lish  literature.  J.  Everest  Piatt,  A.  M.,  professor.of  mathematics 
and  teacher  of  vocal  music.  Dr.  H.  J.  Detmers,  V.  S.,  professor 
of  veterinary  science  and  animal  husbandry.  Maj.  Fred  E.  Miller, 
professor  of  practical  agriculture  and  superintendent  of  the  farm. 
Rev.  E.  Gale,  professor  of  horticulture  and  superintendent  of  the 
nursery.  Lizzie  J.  Williams,  teacher  of  drawing,  and  tutor.  Hat- 
tie  V.  Werden,  teacher  of  instrumental  music.  Jennie  Detmers, 
teacher  of  chemistry  and  German.  Ambrose  Todd,  superintend- 
ent of  shops  and  instructor  in  mechanics. 

In  the  following  pages  of  this  chapter  will  be  found  biographical 
sketches  of  some  of  the  early  makers  of  the  College : 

PRESIDENT   DENISON. 

Joseph  Denison,  D.  D.,  A.  M.,  the  first  President  of  the  Kansas 
State  Agricultural  College,  was  born  in  Bernardston,  Franklin 
county,  Massachusetts,  October  1,  1815.  When  he  was  two  years 
old  his  parents  removed  to  Colerain,  in  the  same  county,  where 
they  engaged  in  farming.  Here  young  Denison  lived  the  usual 
life  of  the  New  England  farmer  boy  of  those  days.  In  the  fall  of 
1833  he  entered  Wilbraham  Academy  to  prepare  for  college,  and 
in  1837  he  joined  the  sophomore  class  in  Wesleyan  University,  at 
Middletown,  Conn.,  where  he  graduated  in  1840.  In  the  same 
year  he  was  elected  professor  of  languages  in  America  Seminary, 
Duchess  county,  New  York,  and  held  that  position  for  three  years, 
having  for  his  pupils  such  men  as  Alexander  Winchell,  the  re- 
nowned geologist,  and  Albert  S.  Hunt,  the  great  philanthropist, 
whose  gifts  to  hospitals  and  institutions  of  learning  have  aggre- 
gated $1, 000,000,  or  more.  From  1843  to  1855  he  was  engaged  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  spring  of  the 
latter  year  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling  on  a  tract  of  government 
land  near  Manhattan  (the  present  county  asylum  farm),  where  he 
became  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  Bluemont 
College  and  afterward  its  third  president.  The  first  president  of 
Bluemont  College  was  I.  T.  Goodnow,  and  the  second  Rev.  R.  L. 
Harford.  A  few  years  later,  when  the  College  became  a  State 
institution,  he  was  still  its  President,  holding  this  responsible 
position  until  1873,  when  he  resigned,  and  soon  after  accepted,  for 
a  time,  the  presidency  of  Baker  University,  at  Baldwin.  Later 
on  he  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Reverend  Denison  is  characterized  by  his  collabo- 
rators as  a  man  of  conservative  views  with  regard  to  education, 
politics,  and  religion — a  typical  New  Englander  of  the  old  school, 
a  simple  and  solid  character.  Of  the  other  pioneers  who  came  with 
him  from  the  East,  a  majority  accumulated  considerable  wealth — 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  II 

he  worked  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  and  had  no  time  to  make 
money.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  I.  T.  Goodnow, 
near  Manhattan,  February  19,  1000,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the 
beautiful  cemetery  overlooking  the  College  from  a  neighboring  hill. 

PROF.   BENJAMIN  FRANK  LIN   MUDGE. 

Prof.  Benjamin  Franklin  Mudge,  A.  M.,  was  born  in  Orriton, 
Me.,  August  11,  1817,  and  died  at  Manhattan,  Kan.,  November  21, 
1879.  When  Benjamin  was  two  years  old,  his  father's  family 
moved  to  Lynn,  Mass.,  and  engaged  in  the  shoe  business.  In 
1840  B.  F.  Mudge  graduated  at  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown, 
Conn.  Some  years  later  this  institution  honored  him  with  the 
degree  of  master  of  arts.  During  his  vacations,  and  at  odd  mo- 
ments, he  diligently  pursued  his  studies  in  natural  history;  and 
although  after  graduating  he  entered  the  legal  profession,  he  never 
relaxed  his  interest  in  science,  and  gathered  here  the  nucleus 
of  the  mineralogical  collection  which  he  afterwards  presented  to 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College.  After  practicing  law  for 
sixteen  years,  during  which  time  he  was  twice  honored  with  the 
mayoralty  of  Lynn,  he  removed  to  Clover  port,  Ky.,  where  he  was 
connected  with  the  Breckinridge  Coal  Company.  On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  rebellion,  he  removed,  to  Wyandotte  county,  Kansas, 
and,  his  love  for  geology  becoming  known,  he  frequently  delivered 
lectures  on  his  favorite  study  through  the  State.  In  1864,  through 
the  influence  of  Hon.  I.  T.  Goodnow,  superintendent  of  public 
instruction,  he  was  invited  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  before 
the  legislature,  whereupon  this  body  conferred  upon  him  the  office 
of  State  geologist — an  honor  entirely  unsought,  yet  thoroughly 
enjoyed.  While  the  State  appropriation  provided  for  the  office 
but  a  short  time,  he  was  subsequently  elected  geologist  under  the 
State  board  of  agriculture,  which  office  he  held  during  life. 

In  1865  he  was  elected  to  fill  the  chair  of  natural  sciences  in  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  to  which  institution,  with  a 
royal  munificence,  he  donated  his  entire  cabinet,  valued  at  $3000. 
It  was  during  one  of  his  summer  excursions  that  he  discovered 
Ichthyorvus  dispar,  a  bird  with  teeth  and  bi-concave  vertebrae.  He 
severed  his  connection  with  the  College  in  February,  1874,  on 
account  of  a  serious  disagreement  with  the  new  management. 
Like  his  collaborators,  Pres.  Joseph  Denison,  Land  Agent  I.  T. 
Goodnow,  and  Prof.  H.  J.  Detmers,  he  did  not  believe  in  industrial 
education  and  manual  training,  and  resisted  the  efforts  in  reorgan- 
izing the  College  of  the  newly-appointed  Board  of  Regents  and 
Pres.  John  A.  Anderson,  to  the  extent  of  leaving  his  classes  and 


42  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

going  to  Topeka  to  interview  the  governor  on  these  matters.  The 
new  management  was  victorious,  and  Professor  Mudge  left  the  in- 
stitution where  for  eight  years  he  had  been  the  leader  in  scientific 
work. 

The  last  years  of  his  life  he  spent  chiefly  in  making  collections 
for  Professor  Marsh,  of  Yale  College,  and  thus  brought  before  the 


m% 


Prof.  B.  F.  Mudge. 

scientific  world  many  new  and  rare  discoveries.  On  Friday,  No- 
vember 21,  1879,  the  professor  was  engaged  with  his  friend,  Doc- 
tor Blachly,  of  Manhattan,  in  geologizing  on  Bluemont  ridge  north 
of  the  city,  exercising  himself  violently  with  pick  and  shovel. 
Upon  his  return  he  sat  down  to  read  with  his  family.  Half  an 
hour  later  he  complained  of  feeling  a  pressure  in  his  head, 
stepped  out-of-doors  to  take  a  walk,  and  died  there  of  apoplexy. 

Professor  Mudge  has  been  called  the  prince  of  collectors  in  the 
West.     He  discovered  over  eighty  new  species  of  the  fossil  flora, 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  18 

and  an  equally  Large  number  of  species  of  the  fossil  fauna.  In 
1^71  the  eminent  naturalist,  Professor  Lesquereux,  said  of  him: 
"lie  is  the  only  truly  scientific  geologist  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river." 

To  him  the  State  of  Kansas  owes  its  first  comprehensive  geolog- 
ical map;  and  it  was  a  proper  acknowledgment  of  her  indebted- 
ness to  his  unselfish  life-work,  when,  after  his  death,  in  1879,  his 
name  was  engraved  in  one  of  the  wall  panels  in  the  Hall  of  Repre- 
sentatives at  the  State  Capitol,  and  the  Academy  of  Science 
erected  a  massive  granite  monument  upon  his  grave,  overlooking 
the  College  buildings  from  a  neighboring  hill. 

HON.  ISAAC  T.  GOODNOW. 

Isaac  T.  Goodnow  was  born  in  Whitingham,  Windham  county, 
Vermont,  January  17,  1814,  and  was  in  his  eighty-first  year  when 
he  died.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  a  merchant's  clerk, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  entered  the  academy  of  Wilbraham,  near 
Springfield,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  fourteen  years,  first  as  a 
student,  then  as  instructor  in  the  primary  and  English  depart- 
ments, and  then  as  professor  of  natural  sciences,  which  latter 
position  he  held  for  ten  years.  In  1848  he  was  called  to  the  same 
chair  in  Providence  Seminary,  at  East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  which  he 
filled  for  six  years.  In  1838  he  was  married  to  a  sister  of  Rev. 
Joseph  Denison,  and  in  1855  he  started,  in  company  with  Denison, 
for  Kansas,  settling  in  March  of  that  year  on  a  claim  near  Man- 
hattan, until  lately  owned  by  J.  F.  Swingle.  In  1857  he  returned 
East  and  raised  $4000  for  building  the  Manhattan  Methodist 
church  (now  the  Roman  Catholic  church).  Then,  in  connection 
with  Joseph  Denison,  Washington  Marlatt,  and  others,  he  estab- 
lished Biuemont  College,  again  visiting  the  East  and  securing 
$15,000  in  cash,  a  library  of  2000  volumes,  and  some  philosophical 
apparatus.  As  a  member  of  the  State  legislature  he  secured  the 
passage  of  a  bill  locating  the  State  University  at  Manhattan — the 
bill  that  was  vetoed  by  Governor  Robinson,  of  Lawrence.  In  the 
fall  of  1862  he  was  elected  State  superintendent,  and  reelected  in 
1864.  As  superintendent  of  public  instruction  he  was  ex  officio  a 
Regent  of  the  Agricultural  College.  In  1867  Professor  Goodnow 
was  selected  agent  to  dispose  of  the  90,000  acres  of  land  belonging 
to  the  College.  In  1869  he  became  land  commissioner  of  the  M. 
K.  &  T.  railway,  and  in  the  next  seven  years  sold  land  amounting 
to  over  $  1,500,000.  For  nearly  forty  years  Professor  Goodnow  had 
been  a  prominent  public  man  in  his  old  home  and  at  Manhattan. 
He  left  considerable   property  at   his    death,    but   no   children. 


44  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

Professor  Goodnow  was  not  a  man  of  deep  learning,  nor  was  he  a 
good  public  speaker,  but  he  became,  by  his  sturdy,  practical  char- 
acter and  natural  business  abilities,  at  the  very  start,  the  indis- 
pensable manager  and  financier  of  the  newly  founded  Bluemont 
College,  and  afterwards  of  the  Agricultural  College,  and  it  is  a 
question  whether  there  would  be  a  State  institution  of  learning  at 
Manhattan  to-day  without  his  efforts  as  a  legislator  and  solicitor 
of  needed  funds. 

PROF.   JOHN  S.  HOUGHAM. 

John  Scherier  Hougham,  the  first  regular  professor  of  agricul- 
ture and  physical  science  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College, 
was  born  at  Connersville,  Ind.,  May  28,  1821,  and  died  of  pneu- 
monia at  his  handsome  suburban  home  near  Manhattan,  Kan., 
March  31,  aged  seventy-three  years.  He  was  educated  at  Wabash 
College,  Crawfordsville,  Ind.,  where  he  graduated  in  1846.  In 
September  of  this  year  he  became  principal  of  mathematics  and 
physics  in  Franklin  College,  Ind. ,  at  a  salary  of  $400.  The  college 
was  poor  financially,  but  Professor  Hougham  stayed  by  it  for  six- 
teen years  and  helped  to  make  it  a  much-sought  educational  institu- 
tion. In  1868  he  accepted  the  chair  of  philosophy  and  agriculture 
in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  and  stayed  here  for  four 
years.  It  was  a  difficult  position  to  fill  and  there  were  no  funds 
for  the  development  of  his  department.  It  was  the  old  story  of 
being  asked  to  make  bricks  without  straw.  His  offer  to  lend  some 
money  to  the  College  for  necessary  expenses  was  accepted,  but  it 
brought  him  much  trouble  and  led  to  his  resignation.  In  1872  he 
accepted  the  chair  of  agricultural  chemistry  in  Purdue  University, 
Lafayette,  Ind. ,  where  he  remained  until  1876,  after  which  he  gave 
his  attention  chiefly  to  his  personal  affairs.  In  a  brief  autobiog- 
raphy which  Professor  Hougham  inserted  in  his  history  of  Frank- 
lin College  occurs  the  passage:  "There  are  two  things  for  which  I 
earnestly  plead:  First,  a  small  funeral;  second,  a  very  brief,  if  any, 
obituary  notice."  His  friends  thought  otherwise,  and  gave  him  a 
large  funeral  and  copious  obituaries. 

PROF.   ELB RIDGE  GALE. 

Professor  Elbridge  Gale  was  born  on  Christmas,  1824,  in  Ben- 
nington, Vt.  In  his  youth  he  attended  Brown  University,  and 
later  he  was  a  student  and  graduate  of  the  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary  at  New  Hampton,  N.  H. 

His  first  pastorate  was  at  Johnson,  Vt.,  where  he  was  married 
in  1853  to  Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Carpenter.  From  Vermont  he  went 
to  Pavillion,  111.,  and  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  that  city 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  4.r> 

for  eight  years.  He  came  to  Kansas  from  Illinois,  and  in  1*()4 
accepted  a  call  from  the  Baptist  church  in  Manhattan,  where  he 
remained  as  pastor  till  he  was  offered  the  chair  of  horticulture  in 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  which  position  he  accepted. 
While  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  this  place  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  Riley  county,  and  was  reelected  for 
several  terms. 

But  the  reverend  was  no  pulpit  man.  He  loved  outdoor  life 
better.  Soon  after  coming  to  Manhattan  he  acquired  a  tract  of 
about  fifty  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  site,  built  himself  a 
home,  and  started  a  nursery.  In  a  few  years  the  little  Gale  farm 
became  a  veritable  botanical  garden.  In  1870  the  city  of  Manhat- 
tan bought  a  quarter-section  of  land  to  relocate  the  College,  and  as 
the  Gale  nursery  formed  a  part  of  this  tract  he  reluctantly  parted 
with  his  beautiful  homestead.  The  large  maple  trees  along  Lovers' 
Lane  and  the  north  College  creek,  and  all  the  old  pines,  cypresses 
and  spruces  directly  north  of  the  Lane  were  planted  by  him  before 
the  College  bought  his  land.  He  "preached  trees"  on  every  pos- 
sible occasion  and  gradually  became  the  orchard  authority  in 
Central  Kansas. 

In  1870  the  Board  of  Regents  elected  him  professor  of  horticul- 
ture and  botany  and  placed  him  in  his  proper  element.  In  the 
fall  of  1873  he  agitated  the  organization  of  a  local  horticultural 
society.  The  new  organization  was  incorporated  on  January  24, 
1874,  with  Professor  Gale  as  its  secretary,  and  from  that  time  till 
this  it  has  been  the  model  local  horticultural  society  of  the  State. 
In  1879  he  became  president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society, 
which  office  he  held  for  six  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1878  he  was  prostrated  by  a  severe  case  of 
typhoid  malaria  and  was  forced  for  several  months  to  abandon 
his  College  work.  The  State  has  no  money  for  worn-out  teach- 
ers, and,  as  the  president,  John  A.  Anderson,  was  not  a  friend  of 
the  enfeebled  man,  he  was  asked  to  resign.  The  reason  for  the 
disagreement  of  the  two  men  consisted  in  the  fact  that  they  were 
political  antipods  and  were  prospective  candidates  for  the  office  of 
congressman  from  the  so-called  North  Kansas  district.  Anderson 
was  a  republican  and  Gale  a  greenbacker. 

Broken  down  in  health  Professor  Gale  left  in  November,  1884, 
for  Florida,  where  he  acquired  a  piece  of  land  near  Lake  Worth. 

Compared  with  the  status  of  modern  botany  and  horticulture, 
the  work  of  Professor  Gale  was  not  highly  scientific.  He  had  had 
no  chance  to  penetrate  deeply  into  the  wonderful  phenomena  of 
plant  life.     His  academic  education  was  of  a  literary  character. 


46  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

While  a  teacher  at  this  College  he  had  no  well-equipped  laboratories, 
no  high-power  microscopes,  no  extensive  scientific  libraries,  no 
large  greenhouses,  and  no  funds  to  make  field  experiments. 
Like  all  of  his  collaborators  of  the  Faculty,  he  taught  a  large  va- 
riety of  subjects — too  many  to  become  an  expert  in  any  line.  The 
conditions  for  doing  high-grade  work  were  unfavorable,  yet  he  did 
an  immense  amount  of  pioneer  work  of  a  highly  practicalkind 
when  such  work  was  necessary,  and  did  it  with  a  heroic  devo- 
tion— a  devotion  that  robbed  him  of  his  health  and  sent  him  to 
Florida  in  his  old  days,  an  exile  from  the  State  which  he  had 
helped  to  build  up.  If  it  is  true  that  he  is  a  great  man  who  makes 
two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew  before,  Professor  Gale 
must  be  ranked  among  the  greatest. 

But  even  here  he  could  not  stop  his  life  work.  He  became  the 
first  president  of  the  Lake  Worth  Horticultural  Society,  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  efforts  that  H.  E.  Van  Deman,  United  States 
horticulturist,  was  induced  to  visit  and  become  interested  in  this 
section  enough  to  have  the  government  procure  from  India  some 
Mulgoba  mangoes,  mangosteens  and  durians.  Many  Mulgoba 
mango  trees  were  planted,  but  Gale  was  the  only  one  who  succeeded 
in  keeping  his  alive,  and  they  still  remain  as  a  living  monument  of 
his  success  as  a  Florida  horticulturist.  His  wife  died  at  their 
home  in  Mangonia,  Florida,  in  1893,  and  the  aged  professor  fol- 
lowed her  in  November,  1907. 


The  Old  Parade  Ground. 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  17 


VI. 

THE  REORGANIZATION  — JOHN  A.  ANDERSON  ELECTED  PRESIDENT  — ANDER- 
SON'S MAXIMS  -THE  NK1W  EDUCATION -THE  INDUSTRIALIST- A  TESTI- 
MONIAL-PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS  FROM  1874  TO  1879  — STATE  APPRO- 
PRIATIONS . 

THE  reorganization,  in  1873,  of  the  Agricultural  College  may  be 
called  an  indirect  result  of  the  Grange  movement.  It  is  not 
within  the  reach  of  this  limited  sketch  to  discuss  the  causes  of 
this  great  movement  of  the  farmers  of  the  West ;  we  will  simply 
state  that  it  swept  Kansas  like  a  prairie  fire.  The  supply  of 
political  fuel  did  not  hold  out,  but,  like  the  Populist  movement 
that  flamed  up  a  quarter  of  a  century  later,  it  burned  hard  for  a 
while  and  placed  new  men  and  new  issues  before  the  voters  of  the 
State.  The  farmers  began  to  interest  themselves  in  political, 
sociological  and  educational  matters.  Their  "school"  at  Manhat- 
tan was  investigated,  and  the  conclusion  was  reached  that  it 
required  a  change  of  policy.  Newspaper  articles  began  to  discuss 
the  work  and  possibilities  of  the  Agricultural  College,  and  the 
horny-handed  Grangers  and  their  political  leaders  finally  agreed 
that  "something"  should  be  done  to  make  it  fill  its  evident  mission. 
In  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  legislature  reconstructing  the 
government  of  the  several  state  institutions,  approved  March  6, 
1873,  Governor  Osborn,  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  appointed  a  new 
Board.  Soon  afterwards  President  Denison  resigned,  and  the  va- 
cancy was  filled  by  the  election  of  Rev.  John  A.  Anderson,  of  Junc- 
tion City.  This  resulted  in  a  radical  change  in  the  character  of  the 
institution.  To  this  Board,  counting  among  its  members  such  men 
as  Dr.  Charles  Reynolds,  post  chaplain  at  Fort  Riley,  J.  K.  Hudson, 
the  founder  of  the  Topeka  Daily  Capital,  and  to  President  Ander- 
son, the  State  is  indebted  for  the  conception  and  inauguration  of 
the  educational  policy  which  hite  placed  the  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College  near  the  bead  of  the  list  of  the  land-grant  institutions 
of  America. 

ANDERSON'S  EDUCATIONAL  MAXIMS. 

In  a  "Hand-book  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College," 
published  in  1874,  President  Anderson  fully  discussed  his  reasons 
for  the  changes  made  in  the  old  system,  a  few  of  which  are  epito- 
mized here: 

1.  It  is  impossible  for  most  people  to  find  time  to  study  everything  that  it 
is  important  for  some  men  to  master. 

2.  The  subjects  discarded,  in  whole  or  in  part,  by  each  separate  class  of 


48  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

students,  should  be  those  that  it  is  supposed  will  be  of  least  importance  to 
them. 

3.  Of  those  retained,  prominence  should  be  given  to  each  in  proportion  to 
the  actual  benefit  expected  to  be  derived  from  them. 

4.  The  farmer  and  mechanic  should  be  as  completely  educated  as  the  law- 
yer and  minister:  but  the  information  that  is  essential  to  the  one  class  is  often 
comparatively  useless  to  the  other;  and  it  is  therefore  unjust  to  compel 
all  classes  to  pursue  the  same  course  of  study. 

5.  Ninety-seven  per  cent  of  the  people  of  Kansas  are  in  the  various  indus- 
trial vocations, and  only  three  percent  in  the  learned  professions;  yet  prom- 
inence is  given  to  the  studies  that  are  most  useful  to  the  professions  instead 
of  those  that  are  most  useful  to  the  industrial  pursuits.  This  state  of 
thing's  should  be  reversed,  and  the  greatest  prominence  given  to  the  subjects 
that  are  the  most  certain  to  fit  the  great  majority  for  the  work  they  should 
and  will  pursue. 

6.  Most  young  men  and  young  women  are  unable  to  go  "through"  col- 
lege. Therefore,  each  year's  course  of  study  should,  as  far  as  practicable, 
be  complete  in  itself. 

7.  The  natural  effect  of  exclusive  headwork,  as  contradistinguished  from 
handwork,  is  to  beget  a  dislike  for  the  latter. 

8.  The  only  way  to  counteract  this  tendency  is  to  educate  the  head  and 
the  hands  at  the  same  time,  so  that  when  a  young  man  leaves  college  he  will 
be  prepared  to  earn  his  living  in  a  vocation  in  which  he  has  fitted  himself  to 
excel. 

9.  Putting  off  the  choice  of  an  occupation  until  after  the  student  leaves 
college  as  a  graduate,  instead  of  making  it  when  he  enters  college,  or  as 
soon  thereafter  as  possible,  is  a  mistake. 

10.  Some  agricultural  colleges  take  as  an  objective  point  the  graduation 
of  agricultural  experts,  experimenters,  professors  of  sciences,  editors,  etc. ; 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  should  take  as  an  objective  point  the 
graduation  of  capable  farmers  and  housewives,  and  it  should  make  an  effort 
to  graduate  thousands  of  such. 

11.  Whatever  else  may  yet  need  to  be  tried,  there  is  no  use  in  repeating 
the  experiment  of  flying  a  literary  kite  with  an  agricultural  tail,  so  often 
made  in  various  quarters.  It  is  a  pleasant  regential  and  professorial 
amusement,  and  quite  attractive  to  an  immediate  locality;  but  there  is  noth- 
ing in  it  for  the  industrial  student,  whose  estate  pays  for  the  kite.  The  fact 
that,  out  of  some  600  students  attending  Cornell  University  last  year,  only 
two  were  studying  agriculture,  is  enough  for  us. 

THE  NEW  EDUCATION. 

Adopting  these  views,  the  Board  of  Regents  discontinued  the 
school  of  literature  and  organized  those  of  agriculture  and  the 
mechanic  arts.  Three  new  professorships  were  established, 
namely:  Botany  and  entomology,  Prof.  J.  S.  Whitman;  chemistry 
and  physics,  Prof.  W.  K.  Kedzie;  mathematics,  Prof.  M.  L.  Ward. 
In  order  to  provide  better  accommodations  for  the  students,  the 
departments  of  instruction  were  removed  from  the  old  farm  to 
the  new  one,  where  the  finished  wing  of  the  barn  was  fitted  up  for 
class  rooms.      Workshops  in  iron  and  wood,  a  printing-office,  a 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L9 

telegraph  office,  a  kitchen  laboratory,  and  a  sowing  room  were 
equipped  and  provided  with  instructors,  and  50  minutes  of  educa- 
tional manual  labor  was  added  to  the  daily  work  of  every  student. 
Three  years  later  the  course  of  study  was  reduced  to  four  years  — 
i.  e.,  the  preparatory  course  was  abolished,  the  teaching  of  But- 
ler's Analogy,  Latin,  German,  and  French  discontinued,  and  the 
requirements  for  admission  lowered  so  as  to  connect  the  institu- 
tion directly  with  the  better  grade  of  public  schools. 

In  order  to  fully  appreciate  the  efforts  of  President  Anderson 
with  regard  to  the  reorganization  of  the  work  of  instruction,  it 
seems  necessary  to  take  a  glance  at  the  educational  reform  move- 
ment in  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  a  fact  not  generally 
known,  and  one  of  which  Kansas  and  the  friends  of  this  institu- 
tion may  well  be  proud,  that  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege was  among  the  very  first  free  schools  of  college  grade  in  the 
United  States  where  systematic  daily  manual  work  became  an 
obligatory  branch  of  instruction  for  all  male  students,  and  that  it 
was  the  first  institution  of  any  kind  in  this  country  which  reduced 
the  minimum  age  of  admission  to  such  instruction  to  fourteen 
years.  There  had,  of  course,  been  numerous  attempts  to  teach 
such  work  before,  but  it  had  either  been  made  optional  or  else  it 
was  limited  to  certain  departments.  In  the  Worcester  Free 
Institute,  founded  in  1865,  and  opened  in  November,  1868,  the 
shop  work  was  made  obligatory  only  to  the  students  in  the  course 
of  mechanical  engineering,  all  of  whom  were  above  sixteen  years 
of  age.  In  the  Industrial  University  of  Illinois  shop  work  was 
provided  only  for  the  students  in  the  architectural  department. 
In  Washington  University,  at  St.  Louis,  the  preparatory  or 
manual  training  school,  which,  through  the  writings  and  enthusi- 
astic work  of  its  dean,  C.  M.  Woodward,  has  become  the  pattern 
for  schools  of  the  kind  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  far 
beyond,  and  is  usually  considered  as  the  pioneer  institution  that 
provided  systematic  instruction  in  wood  and  iron  work  for  all  of 
its  pupils,  made  the  first  experiments  in  this  line  in  1872.  The 
work,  however,  was  limited  to  the  polytechnic  departments,  and 
the  age  of  admission  of  the  pupils  to  fifteen  years,  while  the 
manual  training  school  was  not  organized  until  June  6,  1879.  The 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  where  the  "father  of 
American  tool  instruction,"  Pres.  J.  D.  Runkle,  developed  the 
analytical  system  of  shop  work,  an  improvement  upon  the  Rus- 
sian system  of  Professor  Delia  Vos,  did  not  commence  instruction 
in  iron  work  until  the  spring  of  1877.  The  only  American  institu- 
tion, in  fact,  which  gave  daily  shop  instruction  to  all  its  pupils, 


50 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


previous  to  the  reconstruction  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  was  the  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  of  Hoboken, 
N.  J.,  created  by  the  munificence  of  the  great  philanthropist,  S.  A. 
Stevens.  It  will  be  seen  from  these  historic  statements  of  the 
growth  of  tool  instruction,  that  President  Anderson  was  well  in 
the  front  among  the  educators  of  the  country  who  foresaw  the 


Hon.  John  A.  Anderson. 


coming  educational  changes;  that  he  was  a  leader  rather  than  a 
follower. 

As  might  be  expected,  these  changes  of  educational  policy  cre- 
ated some  friction.  Several  members  of  the  teaching  force,  dis- 
gusted with  the  reduction  of  the  purely  literary  branches  of 
instruction,  resigned,  while  others,  resisting  the  reorganization, 
were  discharged.  Even  the  newly-called  members  were  more  or 
less  opposed  to  some  of  the  methods  adopted,  especially  with 
regard  to  the  reduction  of  the  course  of  study  from  six  to  four 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  51 

years,  and  the  abolishing  of  all  instruction  in  Latin.  The  most 
intense  feeling  existed  for  a  while.  The  students,  encouraged  by 
the  attitude  of  the  retiring  professors,  held  indignation  meetings, 
and  debated  the  reorganization,  and  the  attitude  of  the  President 
and  the  new  Faculty,  in  their  literary  societies.  Nor  did  the 
resistance  to  the  "new-fangled  education,"  as  it  was  sneeringly 
called,  cease  within  a  year  or  two.  Pour  years  after  the  change 
of  policy  the  weekly  College  News,  a  paper  published  by  Student 
Irving  Todd,  calls  the  study  of  "practical  agriculture"  "piratical 
agriculture,"  and  contains  the  following  sarcastic  resolution 
offered  in  the  meeting  of  the  Webster  Senate,  one  of  the  College 
literary  societies : 

Resolved,  That  the  institution  is  altogether  too  high-toned ;  that  such 
studies  as  metaphysics,  histories,  or  anything  which  teaches  religious  prin- 
ciples, or  any  other  principles  which  tend  to  enlighten  and  refine  man, 
should  be  thrown  out. 

Another  resolution,  published  in  the  News,  reads : 

"Resolved,  That,  in  our  judgment,  the  President  of  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, Professor  Kedzie  and  Professor  Shelton  of  the  same  institution, 
receive  mere  pittances  in  comparison  to  their  services  rendered.  That  their 
salaries  ought  to  be  raised  at  the  expense  of  the  other  professors,  and  that 
Professor  Shelton,  especially,  ought  to  receive  $3000  or  $4000." 

The  most  determined  opposition  outside  of  the  College  had  its 
center  of  gravity  in  Manhattan.  The  citizens,  who  considered 
the  fight  largely  their  own,  were  split  into  irreconcilable  fac- 
tions— "for  Latin"  and  "against  Latin."  Petitions  were  sent  to 
the  Board  requesting  a  change  of  policy  in  order  to  save  the  insti- 
tution from  certain  ruin  and  the  aid  of  the  governor  was  evoked  to 
remove  President  Anderson,  who  was  described  as  an  educational 
charlatan,  and  a  man  of  unrefined  habits  and  manners;  but  the 
management  remained  firm.  Gradually  the  storm  subsided. 
The  new  members  of  the  Faculty  beg, in  to  assert  their  influence; 
the  attendance  did  not  fall  off,  as  had  been  predicted;  the  legisla- 
ture was  satisfied  with  the  change;  and  the  "new  education," 
though  hardly  more  than  an  experiment  as  yet,  had  scored  a 
victory. 

THE   "INDUSTRIALIST." 

President  Anderson  was  a  prolific  and  vigorous  writer.  He  de- 
fended his  policy  whenever  and  wherever  he  was  attacked,  and 
gave  no  quarter.  A  chief  weapon  during  the  struggle  was  the  In- 
dustrialist, a  small  weekly,  edited  by  the  Faculty  and  printed  by  the 
Printing  Department.  The  first  number  appeared  on  April  24, 
1875,  and  the  paper  has  been  issued  ever  since.     The  salutatory 


5*2  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

stated  that  the  Industrialist  was  issued  in  the  interest  but  not  at  the 
expense  of  the  Agricultural  College;  "in  part,  to  afford  the  mem- 
bers of  the  printing  classes  regular  drill  in  the  work  of  printing 
and  publishing  a  weekly  newspaper;  in  part,  to  photograph  the 
work  of  the  several  departments  of  the  Agricultural  College,  for 
the  information  of  its  patrons  and  the  people;  in  part,  to  discuss 
the  educational  system  and  methods  of  Kansas  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  rights  and  necessities  of  the  industrial  classes;  in 
part,  to  contribute,  so  far  as  it  can,  such  practical  facts  of  science 
as  may  increase  the  profit  or  pleasure  of  the  farmers,  mechanics 
or  business  men  or  women  of  Kansas." 

Among  the  articles  and  items  the  first  number  contains  is  a 
"Boiled  Down"  column  of  thirty-eight  paragraphs,  an  advertise- 
ment for  bids  for  the  erection  of  the  Mechanics  Hall,  the  state- 
ment that  118  students  had  been  enrolled  during  the  spring  term, 
and  a  statement  of  the  reasons  why  the  Mechanics  Hall  would  be 
built  on  the  "new  farm  "  instead  of  the  old  one. 

To  one  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  College  and  the  trials 
of  those  early  days,  it  is  a  joy  to  read  the  old  files  of  the  Industrial- 
ist and  to  realize  what  effect  the  sledge-hammer  blows  of  the  little 
giant  must  have  had  among  the  Kansas  papers.  Anderson  had 
opinions  on  everything  of  public  interest,  took  a  hand  in  the  settle- 
ment of  every  question  that  came  near  him,  gave  no  quarters  to  ad- 
versaries, and  made  the  Industrialist  one  of  the  most  widely  quoted 
papers  in  the  West.  Manhattan  fought  him  "tooth  and  nail"  but 
he  never  wavered.  The  College  grew  larger  and  stronger,  and  at 
last  they  recognized  the  fact  and  became  his  supporters. 

With  the  nomination  of  Pres.  John  A.  Anderson  to  Congress,  in 
the  summer  of  1878,  the  Industrialist  lost  its  father.  For  nearly  a 
year  and  a  half  the  College  was  without  a  president,  and  the  paper, 
like  all  other  parts  of  the  educational  machinery  of  the  College,  lost 
its  effectiveness.  The  editorial  work  was  mostly  done  by  Supt.  A. 
A.  Stewart,  who  was  then  a  young  man  not  old  enough  to  vote,  and 
the  six  or  seven  overworked  members  of  the  Faculty  had  but  little 
time  or  interest  for  the  newspaper  orphan. 

The  election  to  the  presidency  of  Prof.  George  T.  Fairchild,  of 
the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  resulted  in  a  revision  of  the 
course  of  study  and  a  readjustment  of  the  duties  of  the  teachers ; 
but  he  had  no  desire  to  continue  the  agressive  educational  efforts 
of  his  predecessor,  and  asked  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton  to  become  man- 
aging editor,  who  remained  at  the  helm  for  over  half  a  dozen 
years.  He,  too,  was  a  vigorous  writer  and  a  practical  man,  but 
however  positive  may  have  been  his  treatment  of  agricultural  sub- 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  53 

jects,  he  was  very  careful  not  to  discuss  ideas  not  directly  con 
nected  with  agriculture.    The  Faculty,  who  previously  bad  made 

voluntary  contributions,  were  now  made  responsible  for  sonic  of 
the  editorial  matter,  while  the  writer  of  this  history  was  re- 
quested to  prepare  a  weekly  column  of  "Kansas  educational 
news."  Prom  time  to  time  the  Printing  Department  changed  its 
superintendents,  and  every  new  typographer  changed  the 
"dress"  of  the  paper.  The  size  was  gradually  enlarged  to  about 
twice  the  number  of  ems,  and  the  columns  were  made  wider. 

A  short  time  previous  to  the  departure  of  Professor  Shelton  to 
Australia,  in  1890,  he  found  his  work  as  professor  of  agriculture 
so  exacting  that  he  asked  to  be  relieved  of  the  editorial  work,  and 
as  there  was  no  one  willing  to  accept  the  editorship  it  was  loaded 
upon  the  patient  shoulders  of  the  president.  Doctor  Pairchild 
was  neither  a  prolific  nor  an  easy  writer,  as  Anderson  and  Shel- 
ton had  been.  His  literary  work  was  faultless  in  form,  carefully 
worded,  and  logically  constructed,  but  he  lacked  the  vigor  of 
thought  and  style  of  the  former  editors.  The  Industrialist  became 
a  model  college  paper,  but  its  subscription  list  did  not  keep  pace 
with  its  evolution.  The  students  discussed  plans  for  a  weekly 
organ  of  their  own,  and  though  the  Faculty  counteracted  this 
movement  for  a  while  by  offering  them  a  share  in  the  editorial 
work  of  the  Industrialist,  the  compromise  was  not  able  to  retard 
the  appearance  (in  1895)  of  the  weekly  Students'  Herald. 

The  remainder  of  this  sketch  of  the  Industrialist  is  soon  told. 
When,  following  the  reorganization  of  the  Board  of  Regents  in  the 
spring  of  1897,  President  Fairchild  resigned,  the  Faculty  discussed 
a  change  of  the  Industrialist  from  a  weekly  paper  to  a  monthly  mag- 
azine, and  at  the  October  meeting  of  the  Board  permission  for  the 
change  was  obtained.  The  reasons  as  stated  in  the  last  issue  of 
the  weekly  were  the  following: 

(1)  The  College  needs  an  organ  of  a  capacity  that  will  permit 
the  publishing  of  more  extended  articles  and  reviews,  an  organ 
that  will  permit  the  insertion  of  extracts  from  the  bulletins  of  the 
Experiment  Station,  and  the  reports  of  the  different  departments; 
(2)  the  magazine  form  permits  of  the  easier  preservation  and 
binding  of  the  copies  of  a  year,  or  of  a  term;  (3)  the  work  of  mail- 
ing will  be  reduced,  or  at  least  consolidated;  (4)  the  field  of  a 
weekly  news-letter  to  the  alumni,  old  students,  parents  and 
patrons  is  well  occupied  by  the  weekly  Students'  Herald. 

Under  President  Will  it  regained  some  of  its  former  vigor.  It 
became  an  advocate  of  State  socialism  and  was  filled  with  articles 
on  bimetalism  from  the  pen  of  the  President,  social  statics  by 


54  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Professor  Parsons,  and  state  ownership  of  common  carriers  by 
Professor  Bern  is. 

In  1899  the  Industrialist  was  again  changed  to  a  weekly,  but 
it  retained  its  pamphlet  form.  President  Nichols  became  its 
editor-in-chief,  with  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters  as  local  and  Prof.  J.  T. 
Willard  as  alumni  editor.  The  paper,  started  by  Anderson,  is 
now  in  its  thirty-fifth  year.  It  is  still  the  weekly  news-letter  to 
the  friends  of  the  College  and  the  parents  whose  sons  and  daugh- 
ters are  in  our  care.  Through  storm  and  calm  it  has  reflected 
our  aims  and  methods;  expressed  our  hopes  and  fears,  and  re- 
corded our  growth  and  progress,  and  thus  it  has  become  the' 
historian  of  the  great  school  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts 
of  Kansas. 

AN  INTERESTING  TESTIMONIAL. 

That  the  foregoing  paragraphs  referring  to  Anderson's  reorgan- 
ization of  the  College  from  a  classical  school  to  a  technical  institu- 
tion, and  the  determined  resistance  which  his  efforts  encountered 
are  not  overdrawn,  may  be  judged  from  an  article  excerpted  from 
the  Kansas  City  Gazette,  edited  by  Geo.  W.  Martin,  who  afterwards 
became  the  secretary  of  the  State  Historical  Society.  The  article 
was  published  in  April,  1897,  at  the  time  of  Prof.  Thomas  E.  Will's 
election  to  the  presidency  of  the  College,  and  was  headed  "The 
Fuss  at  Manhattan."  Its  style  betrays  the  vigorous  Western  pio- 
neer newspaper  man: 

"The  present  kick  at  Manhattan  concerning-  the  changes  in  the  Agricul- 
tural College  is  not  a  patching  to  the  kick  when  John  A.  Anderson  was  made 
president,  twenty-four  years  ago.  Prior  to  the  election  of  John  A.  Anderson 
as  president,  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  was  a  one-horse  country 
academy,  whose  Faculty  were  attempting  to  rival  the  State  University,  at 
Lawrence,  and  who  had  about  as  much  conception  of  the  agricultural-college 
act  of  Congress  as  a  chimpanzee  has  of  the  solar  system.  The  Regents  did 
their  utmost  to  make  a  change,  and  the  difficulty  was  in  finding  an  educator 
who  would  try  the  experiment  and  who  had  the  genius  to  organize.  The  ed- 
itor of  the  Gazette,  then  in  the  newspaper  business  in  that  neighborhood,  had 
for  years  criticized  the  school,  demanding  a  change,  little  dreaming  that  he 
had  a  friend  at  his  elbow  whom  he  was  leading  into  the  bitterest  fight  of  a 
lifetime,  and  who  was  destined  to  make  an  eternal  monument  for  himself  in 
the  reorganization  of  that  school.  The  first  article  ever  written  calling  for 
a  change  was  by  James  Humphrey,  while  yet  a  citizen  of  Manhattan,  and 
published  by  us. 

"John  A.  Anderson  had  made  quite  a  reputation  at  Junction  City  as  a 
good  preacher,  who  was  also  an  all-around  hustler,  builder,  and  organizer, 
who  stood  in  with  the  boys,  and  everybody  followed  him.  One  day  a 
Regent  of  the  Agricultural  College,  Maj.  N.  A.  Adams,  appeared  in  Junc- 
tion City  and  suggested  that  he  (Anderson)  try  the  presidency.  Anderson 
had  no  connection  with  the  fight  being  made  on  the  school;  he  scarcely  knew 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  DO 

there  was  such  an  institution.  We  urged  him  that  there  was  his  chance  to 
make  or  break,  lie  was  given  two  weeks  to  investigate.  Never  did  ;i  man 
work  harder  investigating  a  problem  than  did  Anderson  with  tin-  idea  of  in- 
dustrial education  and  the  intent  of  Congress.  When  asked  what  he  thought 
about  it,  he  remarked  that  'if  he  went  there  he  would  bust  it  from  stem  to 
gudgeon.'  'You  are  the  man  we  are  looking  for,'  responded  the  Regent; 
and  lie  was  elected  president,  and  tl  en  I  lades  began. 

"'The  old  crowd  who  didn't  want  to  let  go  were  aided  by  a  paper  at  Man- 
hattan and  another  at  Junction  City.  Simultaneous  with  his  opening  the 
school  in  the  fall,  the  Manhattan  paper  gave  Anderson  six  columns  of 
abuse.  This  was  the  open  part  of  the  fight.  The  Faculty,  and  everybody  in 
Manhattan  who  could  talk  about  a  'curriculum,'  put  in  their  time  guying 
and  sneering  at  Anderson  and  his  new-fang-led  education.  A  social  reign  of 
terror  was  inaugurated  in  the  town;  everybody  was  making-  fun,  and  it 
seemed  as  thoug-h  everybody  was  too  cowardly  to  say  a  word  for  the  new 
order  of  things."  The  Nationalist  was  quiet,  and  the  other  paper  was  pouring- 
hot  shot  into  Anderson  by  the  whole  pag-e  every  week.  The  impression  was 
created  that  Anderson  was  an  escaped  lion  or  tig-er  that  was  eating-  up  the 
children  and  old  women.  His  caliber  was  criticized,  his  executive  ability 
doubted,  and  his  integrity  questioned.  The  first  few  months  he  beg'ged  for 
fair  play;  he  urged  that  he  would  like  to  make  an  effort  to  do  what  the 
Regents  had  hired  him  to  do,  but  he  couldn't  get  fair  play.  The  Regents 
were  loyal  to  Anderson,  and  after  a  few  months  he  turned  loose  and  became 
a  terror,  and  the  old  tabby-cais  took  to  the  brush.  The  Faculty  attempted 
to  ig-nore  him,  but  they  caught  a  Tartar.  He  picked  the  school  up  and 
moved  it  two  miles  nearer  town.  Suit  was  started  to  beat  the  school  out  of 
the  property,  but  Anderson  won.  It  was  the  most  uncalled-for,  inexcusable 
and  vicious  war  ever  w^aged  upon  a  man  in  Kansas;  but  in  five  years  Ander- 
son made  the  school,  and  was  sent  to  Congress,  where  he  remained  twelve 
years.  And,  as  a  result  of  the  fig-ht  and  Anderson's  intellectual  power  and 
org-anizing  ability,  continued  and  expanded  by  President  Fairchild,  it  is  the 
first  school  of  its  kind  on  the  continent,  a  marvelous  contrast  with  the 
measly  snide  for  which  Manhattan  tolerated  such  a  hellish  row.  Anderson 
left  a  monument  to  himself  which  will  not  be  equaled  by  another  Kansas 
man  in  a  century." 

"We  know  what  we  are  talking  about  when  we  say  that  if  the  chang*e  had 
not  happened  just  when  it  did,  and  a  man  of  Anderson's  power  placed  in 
control,  the  legislature  of  1874  would  have  wiped  the  school  out  and  trans- 
ferred the  endowment  to  the  State  University,  where  we  would  have  had  an 
agricultural  branch.  A  widespread  disgust  covered  the  whole  State  at  the 
inability  or  determination  not  to  meet  the  requirements  of  Congress,  and  the 
friends  of  the  State  University  were  organizing  to  gobble  the  whole  thing. 
Anderson  had  been  a  Regent  of  the  State  University,  and  when  he  became 
President  the  movement  weakened.  He  made  an  hour's  speech  before  the 
legislature  of  1874,  and  from  that  on  he  was  enabled  to  get  more  money  than 
anybody.  When  we  think  of  the  diabolism  of  that  fight  made  by  two-thirds 
of  the  people  of  Manhattan,  and  the  indifference  and  cowardice  of  the  one- 
third,  waged  upon  a  man  brought  among  them  to  do  the  best  he  could  with 
their  own  institution,  the  conclusion  is  forced  upon  us  that  if  ever  a  town 
deserved  to  lose  a  thing  Manhattan  deserved  to  lose  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. The  war  waged  upon  the  old  management  saved  the  school  to  Man- 
hattan." 


56  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

STATE   APPROPRIATIONS. 

During  the  six  years  of  Mr.  Anderson's  presidency  the  College 
received  appropriations  by  the  State  legislature  amounting  to 
$79,552.93,  as  follows: 

1874 $28,803  23 

1875 13,675  24 

1876 15,300  00 

1877 7,774  46 

1878 12,500  00 

1879 1,500  00 

A  part  of  this  was  received  for  the  purpose  of  canceling  debts 
and  accumulated  interest  dating  from  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Denison  (College  green-backs),  and  the  remainder  for  build- 
ings, repairs,  and  equipments,  especially  of  the  farm  and  the 
newly-organized  departments  of  woodwork,  printing,  sewing,  and 
cooking.  The  endowment  fund  having  reached  a  total  of  $100,000 
and  the  rate  of  interest  being  ten  per  cent  at  the  time  of  Ander- 
son's election  to  the  presidency,  no  appropriations  were  required 
for  meeting  the  running  expenses.  It  is  a  fact  of  which  the 
financial  managers  of  the  College  can  be  proud,  that  from  the 
time  of  its  reorganization,  in  1873,  to  1893  the  management  never 
asked  the  State  to  contribute  a  single  dollar,  and  never  received  a 
single  dollar  for  professors'  salaries  or  the  ordinary  expenses 
connected  with  instruction. 

PERMANENT    IMPROVEMENTS. 

Of  permanent  improvements  during  Mr.  Anderson's  presi- 
dency may  be  enumerated  the  building,  in  1875,  of  Mechanics 
Hall  (the  present  wood-working  shop),  and  in  the  year  following 
of  Horticultural  Hall  (now  about  to  be  torn  down)  and  the  chemi- 
cal laboratory — at  the  time  of  its  erection  the  best- arranged, 
largest  and  most  complete  chemical  workshop  west  of  St.  Louis. 
The  laboratory  was  built  after  sketches  by  Prof.  William  K. 
Kedzie,  who,  at  his  own  expense,  had  visited  Central  Europe  and 
the  East  to  study  the  arrangement  and  furnishing  of  chemical 
workshops.  In  1877  the  main  part  of  the  present  horse  barn  was 
constructed,  after  sketches  by  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton.  The  corner- 
stone of  the  north  wing  of  the  Main  College  Hall  (now  Anderson 
Hall)  was  laid  in  1878,  and  this  part  of  the  building  completed  in 
February,  1879. 

ANDERSON'S   ELECTION    TO   CONGRESS. 

In  the  summer  of  1878  President  Anderson  was  urged  by  lead- 
ing Republicans  of  the  (then)  First  Congressional  District  to  be- 
come the  candidate  of  the  party  for  United  States  representative. 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  57 

Ee  accepted  the  honor,  feeling  that  the  work  at  the  College  re 
quiring  his  peculiar  bent  of  character,  and  which,  perhaps,  but 
few  could  have  performed,  was  done.  The  institution  was  safe 
from  reaction  with  regard  to  its  course  of  study,  secure  from  ab- 
sorption by  the  State  University,  and  past  the  threatening  specter 
of  finacial  ruin.  It  had  no  name  as  yet  among  the  institutions  of 
learning  of  the  land;  its  attendance  was  small,  its  library  insignifi- 
cant, and  its  apparatus  lacked  much  that  was  absolutely  necessary; 
but  it  had  found  its  distinct  sphere  of  usefulness.  The  debt, 
which  in  1873  had  amounted  to  over  $42,000,  was  reduced  to 
$18,000  endowment  and  $6000  current-expense  fund.  The  pro- 
ductive endowment  had  grown  to  about  $240,000  and  the  annual 
income  amounted  to  nearly  $20,000.  Yet  his  election  to  Congress 
in  November,  1878,  and  consequent  resignation  in  August,  placed 
the  Board  in  a  perplexing  situation.  Where  should  they  find  a 
man  whose  previous  work  and  training  would  furnish  a  guaranty 
for  success?  There  were  plenty  of  candidates;  indeed  it  seemed 
as  if  every  defunct  county  superintendent  or  worn-out  preacher  in 
the  State  believed  himself  the  man  to  pilot  the  newly-rigged 
vessel 

"Through  squalls  and  storms, 
O'er  rocks  and  rift's." 

But  no  agreement  could  be  reached  until  the  following  September, 
when  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton  suggested  his  former  teacher,  Prof. 
Geo.  T.  Pairchild,  of  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  as  a  suitable 
man.  Professor  Pairchild  was  "called,"  came  to  Manhattan  to 
make  a  personal  examination  of  the  condition  of  the  College,  and 
accepted  the  responsible  position. 


Old  Horticultural  Hall 


58  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


VII. 

PRESIDENT  ANDERSON  AND  HIS  COLLABORATORS  — CHARACTER  OP  THE  MAN 
-HIS  UNFLINCHING  COURAGE  — PROF.  E.  M.  SHELTON  — PROF.  Wm.  K.  KED- 
ZIE-PROF.  M.  L.  WARD- PROF.  J.  D.  WALTERS  — PROF.  J.  H.  LEE-THE  FAC- 
ULTY. 

PRES.    JOHN   A.    ANDERSON. 

JOHN  A.  Anderson  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  26,  1834;  graduated  at  Miami  University  in  1853, 
the  roommate  of  President  Benjamin  Harrison;  studied  theology, 
and  preached  in  Stockton,  Cal.,  from  1857  till  1862.  Early  in  that 
year  he  entered  the  army  as  chaplain  of  the  Third  California  In- 
fantry. In  1883  he  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  San- 
itary Commission,  and  his  first  duty  was  bo  act  as  relief  agent  of 
the  Twelfth  Army  Corps.  He  was  next  transferred  to  its  central 
office,  in  New  York.  When  Grant  began  the  movement  through 
the  Wilderness  Anderson  was  made  superintendent  of  transpor- 
tation, and  had  under  his  command  half  a  dozen  steamers.  Upon 
completion  of  this  campaign  he  served  as  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  canvass  and  supply  department,  at  Philadelphia,  and  edited 
a  paper  called  the  Sanitary  Commission  Bulletin.  At  the  close  of 
the  war  he  was  transferred  to  the  historical  bureau  of  the  com- 
mission at  Washington,  remaining  there  one  year,  collecting  data 
and  writing  a  portion  of  the  history  of  the  commission.  In  1866 
he  was  appointed  statistician  of  the  Citizens'  Association  of  Penn- 
sylvania, an  organization  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  suffering 
resulting  from  pauperism,  vagrancy  and  crime  in  the  large  cities. 
In  February,  1868,  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Junction  City,  Kan.,  and  remained  its  pastor  until  the 
fall  of  1873,  when  he  became  President  of  the  Kansas  State  Agri- 
cultural College,  at  Manhattan,  which  position  he  held  until  his 
election  to  Congress,  in  1878.  While  President  of  the  College,  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  jurors  on  machine  tools  for  wood,  metal 
and  stone  at  the  Centennial  Exhibition. 

The  subsequent  history  of  John  A.  Anderson  is  equally  char- 
acteristic of  the  man.  He  served  as  member  of  Congress  from 
this  district  until  the  spring  of  1891.  During  the  fall  campaign 
of  1890  the  Farmers'  Alliance  movement  had  withdrawn  from  the 
ranks  of  the  Republican  party  much  of  the  element  which  had 
elected  and  reelected  him  triumphantly  in  six  consecutive  elec- 
tions. Anderson  was  not  renominated,  and  refused  to  run 
"wild."     The  result  was,  that  the  Republican  party,  as  well  as  its 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  59 

trustworthy  leader  in  this  district,  Lost  the  seat  in  Congress.  Of 
the  large  number  of  congressional  bills  which  were  introduced 
and  advocated  by  Anderson  may  be  mentioned  the  one  reducing 
the  postage  of  letters  from  three  to  two  cents,  and  the  one  creat- 
ing an  Agricultural  Department  as  a  branch  of  the  National  Ex- 
ecutive Government.  He  forced  the  railroad  companies  to  close 
up  their  land  grants  and  pay  taxes  upon  their  lands,  and  in  the 
congressional  appointment  of  1880  he  beat  the  committee  on  ap- 
pointment and  the  orders  of  the  Republican  caucus,  and  obtained 
an  additional  congressman  for  Kansas.  In  March,  189.1,  Ander- 
son was  appointed  consul-general  to  Cairo,  Egypt,  and  sailed  for 
his  new  post  on  April  6;  but  his  already  enfeebled  constitution 
could  not  endure  the  change  of  diet  and  climate.  In  the  following 
spring  he  decided  to  return,  and  died  on  his  home  journey,  in 
Liverpool,  England.  His  remains  rest  in  Highland  cemetery  near 
Junction  City,  Kan.,  a  necropolis  of  which  he  was  the  founder,  by 
the  side  of  his  wife  and  parents. 

ANDERSON   ON    WOMAN'S   EDUCATION. 

To-day  "coeducation"  is  a  settled  pedagogical  principle  in 
every  civilized  country  in  the  world,  but  it  was  not  so  half  or  a 
third  of  a  century  ago,  and  it  may  be  said  that  its  rapid  and  final 
acceptance  in  America  is  due  to  a  considerable  extent  to  the  land 
grant  colleges,  which  helped  to  solve  this  problem  as  they  solved 
that  of  higher  technical  education.  Anderson  believed  in  coedu- 
cation and  in  a  sensible  and  practical  education  of  the  woman.  In 
a  paragraph  in  his  College  Handbook  of  1874  he  discussed  this 
problem  in  the  following  vigorous  manner: 

"If  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  actual  instead  of  ideal  life,  the 
course  of  study  followed  in  the  average  female  seminary  will 
appear  as  a  standing  wonder.  Judging  by  its  points,  it  evidently 
assumes  that  a  woman's  work  mainly  consists  in  discussing  liter- 
ature, smattering  French,  executing  operettas,  and  attempting  to 
copy  paintings  without  a  knowledge  of  drawing.  It  assumes  that 
the  girl  will  not  marry;  or,  if  she  does,  that  the  strain  of  maternity 
will  not  test  her  constitution;  that  her  children  will  never  be  sick; 
that  her  family  will  be  oblivious  to  bad  bread,  worse  coffee,  and 
household  confusion;  that  a  flowerless  garden  will  fill  her  husband 
with  bliss,  and  a  buttonless  shirt  with  ecstasy ;  and,  above  all,  that 
she  will  never,  through  any  adversities  or  under  any  conceivable 
circumstances,  be  required  to  perform  any  possible  kind  of  work! 
The  world  for  which  it  prepares  her  is  Dreamland,  where  the 
poetic  'Charles  Augustus '  awaits  her  arrival  that  they  may  sail  in 


60  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

a  fairy  ship  over  a  placid  ocean  to  his  castle  in  Spain,  and  spend  a 
perpetual  youth  in  delicious  wooing  while  the  ceaseless  moonlight 
sifts  through  overhanging  leaves  and  exotic  flowers  perfume  the 
air. 

'  'Charles  Augustuses  a  fraud!  His  true  name  is  John  Smith. 
He  lives  in  Kansas  and  earns  every  cent  by  hard  labor.  He  tears 
his  clothes,  snores,  and  eats  unlimited  quantities  of  pork  and  cab- 
bage, which  Mrs.  Smith  may  have  to  cook,  and  at  the  same  time 
preserve  order  among  an  assorted  lot  of  little  Smiths,  energetic 
with  mischief  and  having  capacious  lungs  and  elastic  stomachs. 
It  is  not  strange  that  the  seminaries  provide  the  usual  course  of 
study,  for,  like  other  merchants,  they  only  supply  the  article 
demanded  by  the  market.  But  it  is  strange  that  a  mother  who 
was  herself  so  educated,  and  who,  as  a  wife  and  housekeeper,  has 
keenly  felt  her  own  ignorance  of  subjects  that  should  have  been 
taught,  and  her  want  of  skill  that  might  have  been  acquired,  can 
be  content  to  give  her  daughter  the  same  unreal  preparation  for 
that  which  she  knows  to  be  real  life. 

"Without  raising  the  vexed  question  of  woman's  rights  — 
whether  the  family  is  her  proper  sphere,  or  whether  it  be  as 
broad  as  her  success  in  professional  and  political  life  can  make 
it — she  undoubtedly  has  a  right  to  be  educated  as  a  woman.  She 
has  a  right  to  study  her  own  organism  and  functions,  to  under- 
stand the  conditions  of  health,  and  to  be  forewarned  against  the 
inexorable  penalties  of  ignorance,  folly,  or  overtaxation.  She  has 
a  right  to  instruction  respecting  the  proper  care  of  the  sick,  for  a 
mother's  watchfulness  and  a  wife's  tenderness,  when  intel- 
ligently directed,  are  more  potent  than  drugs  in  the  struggle  with 
death.  She  has  a  right  to  instruction  and  practice  in  the  art  of 
cutting  and  making  her  own  clothing  tastefully;  in  the  art  of 
cookery;  in  that  of  setting  a  table,  brightening  a  room,  beautifying 
a  garden;  in  short,  to  all  the  knowledge  which  related  sciences  can 
contribute  to  her  intelligence,  deftness  and  efficiency  in  that 
greatest  and  purest  of  womanly  arts,  the  art  of  making  home 
brighter  to  the  little  ones  than  streets,  more  attractive  to  its 
adults  than  saloons — a  quiet  nook  whence  the  pilgrim  of  three 
score  and  ten  boards  the  ship  that  sails  out  into  eternity's  ocean. 
These  are  things  which  men  cannot  perform." 

CHARACTER   OF   ANDERSON. 

Of  the  personal  friends  whom  John  A.  Anderson  had  all  over 
Kansas,  none  was  better  fitted,  perhaps,  to  draw  a  vivid  pen  pic- 
ture of  his  character  than  Noble  L.  Prentis,  who,  when  the  sad 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


01 


news  of  Anderson's  death  arrived  in  his  home  State,  wrote  the 
following  in  the  Kansas  City  star,  of  which  he  was  the  editor: 

When  I  knew  him  first  he  was  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Junc- 
tion City.  He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life  -that  was  is  years  ago  living 
with  his  wife  and  children  under  the  roof  of  his  uncle  and  aunt,  Col.  John 
B.  Andeison  and  wife,  who  had  cared  for  him  and  his  wife,  who  was  a  niece 
of  Mrs.  Anderson,  from  childhood.  In  those  days  I  saw  him  day  and  night, 
and  afterward,  when  he  was,  in  1878,  the  first  time  a  candidate  for  Congress, 
we  made  the  canvass  together  — Mr.  Anderson,  George  W.  Martin,  myself, 
and  other  gentlemen,  including  the  late  Judge   Nathan  Price,  of  the  great 


Women's  Gymnasium. 


district  comprising  all  Kansas  north  of  the  Kaw  and  of  the  Smoky  Hill,  at 
the  time  the  most  populous  congressional  district  in  the  United  States,  and 
one  of  the  largest  in  area.  Five  hundred  miles  of  the  country  in  extreme 
northwestern  Kansas  was  made  in  an  ambulance  hired,  with  the  driver,  at 
Beloit.  The  prairies  were  high  and  wide,  and  it  was  in  the  brown  October, 
and  the  appointments  were  far  apart  and  there  was  plenty  of  time  for  con- 
versation and  reverie,  and  it  was  safe  to  say  that,  by  the  time  the  ambu- 
lance was  back  at  Beloit  and  the  railroad  journeying  begun,  there  was  very 
little  that  any  member  of  the  party  had  ever  dreamed  of  in  his  philosophy 
that  was  not  in  the  possession  of  his  companions.  All  the  facts  and  experi- 
ences of  life,  and  all  the  theories  concerning  this  life  and  the  life  which  is  to 
come,  were  discussed. 

In  those  days  John  A.  Anderson  spoke  of  all  his  life;  of  his  student 
days  at  Miami ;  of  his  friendship  there  with  Ben.  Harrison,  whom  he  remem- 
bered as  a  wrestler  who  would  never  give  up  or  stay  thrown ;  of  his  early 
days  in  California,  when  he  was  the  Presbyterian  pastor  at  Stockton,  and 
built  a  church  there;  of  his  journeys  in  his  own  sail  boat  from  Stockton  to 


62  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

'Frisco ;  of  Starr  King1  and  Bret  Harte,  and  the  bright,  young  literary  men 
he  knew  there;  and  of  his  work  as  a  correspondent  of  the  San  Francisco 
Bulletin.  Then  he  spoke  of  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war;  of  the  divided 
state  of  things  in  California ;  of  the  division  of  his  church,  and  the  exodus 
of  the  Southern  element  from  the  church  when  he  called,  Sunday,  on  the 
God  of  Grant  and  Halleck  and  McClellan  to  bless  the  Union  armies.  He 
spoke  of  the  raising  of  the  "Bear  flag"  in  Stockton,  and  the  speedy  cut- 
ting down  of  the  same;  and  of  his  own  enlistment  as  a  soldier  of  the  Lord 
and  of  the  United  States  as  chaplain  of  Col.  Patrick  Conner's  Second  Cali- 
fornia Regiment,  and  the  march  across  the  terrible  Humboldt  desert  to  Salt 
Lake  and  Camp  Douglas.  On  some  days  the  talk  would  turn  on  the  sani- 
tary commission,  and  his  connection  with  it  as  its  quartermaster  at  the 
"water  base,"  wherever  it  might  be,  at  City  Point  or  elsewhere,  following 
with  his  boats,  as  near  as  possible,  the  movements  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  More,  however,  than  any  of  these  things,  he  dwelt  on  his  coming 
to  Kansas  after  the  cruel  war  was  over;  when  he  could  have  had  an  Eastern 
church  and  a  good,  plodding,  easy  time,  and  chose  instead  to  come  to  Junc- 
tion City,  then  a  wide-open  frontier  place,  marked  by  a  distinct  and  plainly 
visible  article  of  ungodliness  *  and  how  they  built  the  fine  Presbyterian 
church;  and  how  he  planted  about  the  wall  the  spreading  ampelopsis,  which 
grows  there  still ;  and  how  the  work  went  on  in  the  hands  of  about  the  gay- 
est, heartiest  lot  of  Christians,  and  with  the  least  affectation  of  piety,  that 
have  ever  been  gathered  in  this  world. 

After  he  went  away  to  Washington,  Kansas  and  his  friends  in  Kansas 
saw  less  of  him.  His  health  and  spirits  were  affected  from  the  first  by  the 
air  of  Washington,  and  he  got  in  the  way  of  passing  his  vacations  in  a 
canoe  on  one  of  the  northern  lakes,  with  his  eldest  boy  for  company.  He 
loved  the  wide  waters,  and  was  a  sailor. 

He  stayed  long  in  Congress,  but  was  far  from  being  a  regulation  con- 
gressman. He  was  not  in  the  accepted  sense  a  politician;  I  am  not  certain 
he  liked  politicians  or  that  they  liked  him.  He  was  not  a  good,  strict,  iron- 
bound  party  man.  He  did  many  things  that  the  Republican  party  in  Kan- 
sas never  suggested  to  him.  He  advocated  measures  that  "reformers"  and 
"labor  men"  might  have  advocated;  but  he  never  joined  any  society  of 
laborers.  He  had  theories  of  a  better  world  even  on  this  terrestial  ball. 
Politicians  believe  in  the  life  that  now  is,  and  do  not  think  of  good  things 
in  the  future,  or  even  of  the  day  of  judgment.  He  did.  He  was  one  of  the 
few  "anti-monopolists"  who  have  ever  lived  who  really  took  steps  to  get 
anything  away  from  the  monopolies  —  as  lands  they  did  not  own  and  back 
taxes. 

In  the  year  1885  the  first  great  and  crushing  affliction  of  his  life  fell  upon 
him.  In  the  death  of  his  wife,  a  most  noble  woman,  he  lost  his  best  friend. 
He  had  known  her  all  his  life.  She  was  his  companion  in  youth,  the  support 
of  his  manhood.  He  kept  on  at  his  work  in  Congress  for  five  years  after, 
but  a  changed  man.  His  bodily  infirmities  increased.  He  had  lost  his 
hearing  in  one  ear  in  his  youth  from  varioloid,  and  he  became  deaf  in  the 
other.  He  became  indifferent,  evidently,  and  made  no  fight  to  speak  of  for 
a  renomination  in  1890.  After  his  retirement  from  Congress  he  went  away 
to  Egypt  as  consul-general  at  Cairo;  perhaps  with  a  sick  man's  hope  of 
recovery  in  a  change  —  in  any  change.  In  that  country  of  wide,  burning 
sands  and  dead  monuments  of  the  dead,  he  grew  worse ;  at  the  last  he  hoped 
that  life  might  be  persuaded  to  stay  by  the  air  and  the  breeze  of  home,  and 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  68 

died  in  the  attempt  to  reach  home.  He  was  a  remarkable  man,  in  (act  he 
was  two  men.  He  passed  with  the  crowd  for  a  rou«>i)  man,  careless  of  pro- 
prieties, sometimes  of  feelings.  He  was  a  clergyman;  but  he  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  look  and  dress  as  some  people  think  clergymen  should.  He 
hated  a  white  neckcloth,  he  did  not  always  reverence  the  men  who  wore 
them;  but  he  was  a  sincere  believer,  from  his  mother's  knee.  None  knew 
how  o-entle  he  was  save  the  few  who  had  felt  the  strong  pressure  of  his  #reat, 
warm  hand,  or  seen  his  eyes  fill  with  quick-coming  tears. 

ANDERSON'S  UNFLINCHING  COURAGE. 

While  Mr.  Anderson  is  well  characterized  in  the  foregoing, 
there  was  one  element  in  the  man  which  Prentis  failed  to  mention 
—his  unflinching  courage  in  meeting  men  and  issues.  He  was  of 
Scotch  descent  and  some  of  his  friends  loved  to  trace  this  trait  of 
character  to  the  Highland  chiefs  of  "auld  lang  syne. "  He  had  the 
courage  to  say  no,  be  it  in  Congress  or  among  his  best  friends  in 
the  evening  parlor.  He  fought  the  railroads  when  such  a  course 
was  considered  the  certain  end  of  a  congressional  career.  He 
disagreed  with  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee  at  a  time 
when  the  State  gave  that  party  majorities  equal  to  one-third  of  all 
the  voters,  and  forbade  them  to  send  certain  speakers  into  his  dis- 
trict. He  disagreed  with  the  Faculty  and  stood  out  for  needed 
changes,  when  nearly  every  member  was  opposed  to  his  views. 
The  writer  of  this  sketch,  from  his  own  experience,  can  add  the 
following : 

In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1877  the  Board  of  Regents,  at  the 
instigation  of  Anderson,  considered  the  reduction  of  the  course  of 
study  from  six  years  to  four  years,  and  finally  voted  the  change. 
There  were  several  reasons  for  taking  the  step.  In  the  first  place, 
the  common  schools  of  the  State  had  commenced  to  furnish  much 
better-prepared  candidates  for  admission;  secondly,  it  seemed  best 
to  place  the  possibility  of  graduation  before  a  large  number  of 
students,  in  order  to  retain  them;  and  thirdly,  there  was  a 
discouraging  lack  of  means — of  class  rooms,  laboratories,  appa- 
ratus, teachers,  and  funds.  The  Faculty  had  debated  the  question 
in  meeting  and  in  private,  and  a  majority  were  bitterly  opposed  to 
a  reduction.  Strong  reasons  were  advanced  by  these,  but  a  main 
reason  for  the  opposition  was  usually  left  untouched — the  teachers 
of  the  studies  that  were  to  be  cut  out  or  pruned  were  afraid  of  los- 
ing their  coveted  high-grade  work.  It  may  also  be  added  that 
there  had  been  noticeable  for  some  time  an  undercurrent  of  per- 
sonal dissatisfaction  among  a  group  of  professors.  They  consid- 
ered Anderson's  views  as  too  radical  and  his  educational  reforms 
as  too  sweeping.  Personal  enemies  of  the  President  had  spread 
the  rumor  that  he  was  tired  of  his  position;  that  he  was  looking  for 


64  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

another  field  of  labor,  and  that  it  would  be  easy  to  worry  him  so 
that  he  would  resign.  The  dissatisfied  teachers,  in  secret  meet- 
ings held  during  the  summer  vacation,  finally  prepared  a  carefully- 
worded  petition  to  the  Board,  asking  for  a  reconsideration  of  the 
step. 

President  Anderson  had  gone  to  Colorado  for  a  mountain  tour 
when  he  heard  of  the  opposition  of  the  leading  members  of  the 
Faculty  to  what  he  considered  a  fixed  matter,  and  returned  in  all 
haste.  A  Faculty  meeting  was  called,  in  which  Anderson  de- 
manded to  know  the  reasons  for  the  opposition  to  a  reduction  of 
the  course  of  study.  In  this  meeting  he  was  greatly  in  the  minor- 
ity. The  members  of  the  Faculty  siding  with  him  were  Prof.  J. 
D.  Walters,  and  Supts.  A.  A.  Stewart  and  W.  C.  Stewart.  The 
members  opposed,  though  to  an  unequal  extent,  were  Profs.  M.  L. 
Ward,  W.  K.  Kedzie,  Wm.  Shelton,  E.  Gale,  and  E.  Piatt.  One  or 
two  were  absent.  The  meeting  was  a  stormy  one,  but  he  met  the 
opposing  faction  with  such  a  positive  determination  that  the  whole 
matter  was  settled  in  an  hour.  The  Board  of  Regents  adopted 
his  views,  and  the  future  proved  the  correctness  of  his  conclusions. 

PROF.    E.    M.    SHELTON. 

Among  the  new  members  of  the  Faculty  none  entered  upon  the 
work  of  reorganization  with  more  zeal  and  sympathy,  and  assisted 
more  effectively  in  bringing  its  practical  work  into  favor  with  the 
farmers  of  the  State,  than  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton,  M.  Sc,  elected  to 
the  chair  of  agriculture  in  1874. 

Edward  Mason  Shelton  was  born  in  Huntingdonshire,  England, 
August  7,  1846,  and  in  1855  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  set- 
tling in  New  York.  In  1860  the  family  moved  to  Michigan.  He 
received  his  education  at  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  grad- 
uating in  1871,  and  took  a  course  of  special  study  under  Dr. 
Manly  Miles.  At  this  time  an  agent  of  the  Japanese  government 
was  in  this  country  seeking  men  for  the  advancement  of  the  agri- 
cultural interests  of  Japan,  and  through  him  Mr.  Shelton  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  government  experiment  farm  at 
Tokio.  He  was  the  first  teacher  of  American  agricultural  methods 
and  systematic  farming  in  Japan,  and,  although  ill  health  de- 
manded his  return  to  America  at  the  expiration  of  a  year,  he  left 
a  strong  impression  upon  the  farming  interests  of  that  country. 
He  next  joined  the  Greeley  colony  of  Colorado,  but  soon  returned 
to  his  agricultural  studies  and  investigations  at  the  Michigan  col- 
lege, and  from  thence  was,  in  1874,  chosen  professor  of  agricul- 
ture and  superintendent  of  the  farm  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricul 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


(■>■) 


tural  College,  in  which  position  he  remained  until  the  1st  of 
January,  1890,  when  he  accepted  a  call  by  the  governor  of  Queens- 
land, Australia,  to  the  honorable  and  responsible  position  of  agri- 
cultural adviser  to  the  government.     In  1897  he  returned  to  the 


Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton. 


United  States  and  settled  in  the  Puget  Sound  country,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  provision  business,  and  later  in  mining  specula- 
tions. His  writings  have  been  widely  quoted,  and  his  influence 
has  been  marked  upon  the  trend  of  agricultural  education  of 
three  different  continents.  He  was  secretary  of  the  State  Short- 
horn Breeders'  Association  and  of  the  National  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Agricultural  Science. 


66  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

A  letter  by  him  from  Australia,  written  in  1895  to  the  writer  of 
this  sketch,  illustrates  the  drift  of  his  practical  mind.  He  said: 
"I  am  determined  that  this  new  school  shall  be  an  agricultural 
school.  I  can  plainly  see  that  the  world  needs  to-day  useful  men 
rather  than  learned  ones,  and  I,  for  one,  am  disposed  to  sacrifice 
the  theoretical  and  literary  for  the  practical  and  directly  useful, 
whenever  necessary.  All  this  I  have  no  doubt  will  shock  college 
people,  but  it  is  the  only  system  that  is  practical  here."  The 
quoted  lines  characterize  the  man  to  perfection.  He  came  to 
Kansas  when  the  State  was  overrun  by  land  speculators,  town  or- 
ganizers, and  railroad-bond  agitators.  In  those  days  farming 
was  carried  on  in  a  slipshod  way,  and  everybody  was  ready  to 
sell  his  acres  to  anybody  at  almost  any  price.  Shelton  had  the 
courage  to  warn  against  such  methods,  to  caution  against  large 
land-holdings,  to  insist  that  the  western  part  of  the  State  must 
evolve  a  new  system  of  farming,  or  suffer,  and  to  force  the  legis- 
lature to  appropriate  funds  for  experiments  in  scientific  agricul- 
ture. These  radical  efforts  involved  him  in  many  a  conflict  with 
land-gamblers,  but  he  never  wavered.  He  was  the  first  one,  or 
one  of  the  very  first  ones,  in  Kansas  to  advocate  the  introduction 
of  the  Chili  alfalfa,  and  he  did  much  for  the  introduction  of  Kafir- 
corn  and  other  sorghum  grains  and  grasses. 

PROP.    W.  K.  KEDZIE. 

Prof.  William  K.  Kedzie,  M.  Sc,  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  vet- 
eran teacher  of  agricultural  chemistry  at  the  Michigan  Agricul- 
tural College,  Prof.  R.  C.  Kedzie.  He  graduated  at  that  institution 
in  1879,  took  a  special  course  at  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School  of 
Yale  College,  and  became  assistant  to  his  father  at  Lansing,  Mich., 
until  his  call  to  Manhattan,  in  1873.  Coming  to  the  Agricultural 
College  of  Kansas  at  the  time  of  its  reorganization,  he  lent  valuable 
assistance  in  shaping  the  course  of  instruction  and  giving  the 
branches  of  chemistry,  mineralogy,  geology  and  meteorology  the 
prominent  position  which  they  deserve  in  the  curriculum  of  such 
an  institution.  While  here  he  wrote  a  small  text-book,  "The 
Geology  of  Kansas."  In  1878  he  accepted  a  call  to  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, Ohio,  and  died  in  1880,  in  the  prime  of  his  life.  Professor 
Kedzie  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss  Ella  Gale,  a  graduate  of  the 
College  and  a  daughter  of  Prof.  E.  Gale. 

PROP.    M.    L.    WARD. 

Prof.  Milan  L.  Ward,  A.  M.,  was  brought  up  on  a  farm,  without 
early  opportunities  in  school,  but  graduated  from  Hamilton  Col- 
lege, N.  Y.,  and  afterward  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the 


KANSAS   STATU    A( ;  KICULTURAL  COLLEG] 


67 


Baptist  church.  For  some  years  he,  with  the  assistance  of  Mrs. 
Ward,  maintained  a  successful  private  academy  at  Ottawa,  Kail., 
and  from  that  was  called,  in  1873,  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  in 
this  College.  In  this  position,  with  many  fluctuations  of  duties, 
he  did  faithful,  energetic  work  for  ten  years,  and  often  helped  to 
hold  together  conflicting  forces  in  the  Faculty  by  combining  ear- 


Prof.  M.  L.  Ward. 


nest  regard  for  the  practical  side  of  the  new  plans  with  an  abiding 
faith  in  mental  discipline  as  the  foundation  of  all  true  education. 
During  President  Anderson's  congressional  campaign  Professor 
Ward  was  made  acting  president,  and,  after  leaving  this  College, 
in  1883,  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  Ottawa  University, 
where  he  still  remains  as  a  member  of  the  faculty. 

The  aged  professor  is  remembered  by  hundreds  of  his  former 
pupils  as  a  stern  disciplinarian  of  those  who  needed  discipline  and 
a  kindly  and  fatherly  teacher  of  all  those  who  could  appreciate 


68  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

kindness.  He  left  Manhattan  at  the  time  of  the  election  of  Gov- 
ernor Glick,  and  it  is  stated  by  his  friends  that  his  reasons  for 
leaving  were  of  a  purely  "political"  kind.  Having  been  a  strong 
advocate  of  the  prohibition  movement  and  a  warm  personal  friend 
of  Governor  St.  John,  he  felt  that  it  would  be  imprudent  to  wait 
for  the  partizan  guillotine. 

PROF.  J.  D.  WALTERS. 

Prof.  John  D.  Walters,  M.  Sc,  D.  A.,  was  born  in  Unterram- 
sern,  a  little  country  town  in  western  Switzerland.  His  father 
was  a  civil  engineer  and  contractor  (county  surveyor  of  Riley 
county,  Kansas,  in  '93  and  '94).  The  professor  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  communal  schools  of  his  canton  and  learned 
at  an  early  age  the  German  and  French  languages.  In  1860  he 
entered  the  high  school  (Secundar  Schule)  of  Bucheggberg  and 
graduated  in  '63  at  the  head  of  his  class.  He  then  entered  the 
Cantonal  College  and  Normal  School  of  Solothurn  and,  being  a 
graduate  of  a  high  school,  was  permitted  to  enroll  in  the  third 
class  of  the  five-year  technical  course  (Gewerbe  Abtheilung). 
Business  reverses  in  his  parental  home  and  the  subsequent  emi- 
gration to  America  of  his  father  forced  him,  after  a  year  and  a 
half  of  study,  to  teach  school  for  a  while.  In  1864- '65  he  taught 
the  ninth  and  tenth  grade  of  the  public  schools  of  Oberbalm,  near 
Bern,  and  the  next  year  he  became  assistant  in  mathematical 
branches  in  the  Klingenberg  Experiment  Station  of  the  Thurgovian 
Agricultural  College.  During  these  two  years  he  made  up  by  pri- 
vate study  the  work  of  nearly  a  full  year  of  the  college  course,  and 
in  the  fall  of  '66,  being  now  of  age,  he  successfully  passed  the 
exacting  examinations  for  the  life  diploma  of  a  Swiss  teacher.  He 
then  returned  to  his  Alma  Mater  and  finished  the  course.  Being 
without  sufficient  means  he  "worked  his  way,"  and  had  a  rather 
tough  time  of  it.  He  started  with  ledgering  in  a  store  a  few 
hours  every  day.  Later  he  gathered  news  for  the  Tagblatt,  and 
still  later  wrote  paragraphs  and  short  stories  for  the  Sunday 
edition.  The  publishers  paid  him  only  a  f ew  scents  per  "square" 
for  these  maiden  literary  efforts,  but  collected  them  in  separata, 
from  the  sale  of  which  he  met  part  of  his  expenses. 

It  had  been  his  intention  to  study  architecture  at  some  art  cen- 
ter after  graduation,  but  he  now  found  that  his  means  would 
not  allow  the  selection  of  such  a  costly  career  and  that  this 
profession  was  greatly  overcrowded  in  Switzerland.  He  there- 
fore turned  to  civil  engineering  and  took  a  course  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Bern  (Das  Schweizerische  Katasterverfahren),  after  which 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  69 

he  worked  for  a  time  at  geodetic  surveying  (triangulation)  in  the 
cantons  of  Solothurn  and  Neul'chatel. 

In  the  meantime  his  parents  had  emigrated  to  Pittsburgh,  I'a., 
and  he  concluded  to  go  west  also,  landing  in  New  York  late  in  the 
fall  of  '0>H,  without  means  and  without  a  knowledge  of  English; 
that  is,  without  the  ability  to  speak  it.     After  working  for  a  num- 


Prof.  J.  D.  Walters. 

ber  of  years  as  civil  engineer,  decorative  painter  and  architectural 
draftsman  in  several  states  and  many  cities,  he  was  elected 
instructor  in  industrial  drawing  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  taking  charge  of  the  department  as  its  head  in  January, 
'77.  During  the  first  years  of  his  connection  with  the  College,  the 
Faculty  was  small  and  it  often  became  necessary  for  instructors 
to  teach  a  variety  of  subjects.  In  addition  to  drawing,  the  profes- 
sor taught  classes  in  geometry  and  trigonometry,  and  for  several 
years  had  charge  of  the  College  orchestra.  His  Pestalozzian 
methods  of  teaching,  his  perfect  discipline  in  the  class  room,  his 


70  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

natural  demeanor,  and  his  interest  in  the  auxiliary  work  of  the 
College — especially  in  building  matters — soon  made  him  a  perma- 
nent feature  of  the  institution,  and  the  successive  Boards  have 
not  been  illiberal  in  "recognizing"  his  efforts.  In  '83  he  was 
given  the  degree  of  master  of  science;  in  the  spring  of  '85  he  was 
made  professor  of  industrial  art  and  designing;  at  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  course  in  architecture  in  '03  he  was  made  pro- 
fessor of  architecture  and  drawing,  and  on  Commencement  of  '08 
he  was  given  the  degree  of  doctor  of  arts. 

The  professor  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  development  of 
manual  training  as  a  branch  of  high  school  and  college  instruc- 
tion, and  in  the  growth  of  laboratory  methods  in  teaching  science 
in  higher  institutions  of  learning.  For  three  years  he  was  secre- 
tary of  the  industrial  section  of  the  N.  T.  A.,  and  at  the  Nashville 
meeting  read  a  paper  on  "Aims,  Ways  and  Means  in  Manual 
Training."  For  many  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  standing 
committee  of  landscape  gardening  of  the  Kansas  State  Horticul- 
tural Society.  In  '85  he  published  a  series  of  text-books  on  free- 
hand drawing  for  mature  pupils,  in  '91  a  series  of  four  books  on 
elementary  graphics,  and  in  '98  a  series  of  sixteen  consecutive 
text-books  on  industrial  drawing  for  common  and  high  schools,  a 
series  that  was  published  by  the  American  Book  Company  and 
was  widely  adopted  by  schools  throughout  the  West.  In  '03  he 
obtained  permission  of  the  Board  of  Regents  to  organize  a  regular 
four-year  course  in  architecture,  and  to  this  day  has  been  success- 
ful in  maintaining  its  high  standard.  A  picture  of  the  professor 
as  he  appeared  eight  years  ago  will  be  found  with  this  paragraph. 

PROF.    JAMES    H.    LEE. 

When  giving  credit  to  the  men  who  have  located  and  organized 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  to  those  who  have  fought 
for  its  existence  in  the  halls  of  the  legislature,  to  those  who  have 
looked  after  its  financial  affairs,  or  to  those  who  have  advanced  its 
rank  among  the  educational  institutions  of  America,  the  conscien- 
tious and  energetic  teacher  in  the  class  room  should  not  be  for- 
gotten, and  among  these  early  pioneers  Prof.  James  Hervey  Lee, 
A.  M.,  is  one  of  the  most  deserving. 

Professor  Lee  was  born  in  Savannah,  Ashland  county,  Ohio, 
July  11,  1830.  His  grandfather  came  to  America  from  Ireland 
and  located  in  Pennsylvania,  where,  in  1802,  the  father,  William 
Lee,  was  born.  William  Lee  was  a  wheelwright,  but,  after  carry- 
ing on  his  trade  in  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  for  about  ten  years,  he 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  farming,  first  in  Ohio,  afterwards  in 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


71 


Michigan,  and  finally  at  Manhattan.  Professor  Lee  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  commenced  teaching;  but,  being  desirous  of  a  better 
education,  he  soon  gave  up  this  work  and  started  to  Kenyon  Col- 
lege, with  a  capital  of  eleven  dollars  and  plenty  of  gumption  and 
grit.     Here  he  worked  and  studied  and  managed  to  graduate.     He 


Prof.  James  H.  Lee. 


then  entered  the  theological  course  of  the  same  college,  and  while 
studying  he  taught  in  the  grammar  school.  In  1862  he  was 
ordained  minister  and  deacon  in  the  Episcopal  church  and  became 
assistant  to  the  rector  of  St.  Paul's  church  at  Steubenville,  Ohio. 
Two  years  later  he  went  to  La  Porte,  Ind.,  as  rector  of  a  church 
in  that  city.  In  1866  he  came  to  Manhattan  to  accept  the  position 
of  rector  of  the  St.  Paul's  church  in  this  city  and  also  the  chair  of 
classics  and  English  literature  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College,  occupying  the  latter  position  until  1875. 

The  reorganization  of  the  College  under  Pres.  John  A.  Ander- 
son greatly  reduced  the  work  of  classical  teaching  and  increased 


72  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

that  of  scientific  and  technical  instruction.  Professor  Lee  was  at 
that  time  one  of  the  strongest  men  in  the  Faculty,  but  he  was  not 
in  full  accord  with  the  newly  appointed  President  and  his  methods 
of  reorganization.  He  was  an  adherent  of  the  "humanistic 
school,"  and  it  hurt  him  to  see  his  beloved  work  in  history  and  lit- 
erature reduced — almost  anihilated.  Two  years  after  the  reor- 
ganization he  left  the  College,  where  he  had  worked  faithfully  for 
a  decade,  and  started  a  private  academy  of  languages  in  Manhat- 
tan. In  1880  he  became  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of 
Riley  county,  which  position  he  held  till  1891 ,  when  he  was  elected 
professor  of  English  literature  in  St.  John's  School,  at  Salina, 
Kan.  In  1887  he  retired  to  private  life  at  Manhattan,  where  one 
of  his  daughters,  a  graduate  of  the  College,  is  librarian  in  the 
Carnegie  Library.  The  ex-professor  is  a  dignified  and  kindly  old 
gentleman,  respected  alike  by  his  former  pupils  and  by  the  citi- 
zens of  Manhattan. 

HON.    STEPHEN  M.   WOOD. 

Hon.  Stephen  M.  Wood  was  appointed  a  Regent  of  the  College  in 
1877  at  a  most  critical  period  in  the  history  of  the  institution. 
President  Anderson  had  just  fully  inaugurated  his  new  policy 
and  had  told  the  people  of  the  State,  in  his  handbook,  that  he  did 
not  believe  in  "classical  education"  for  the  farmer  and  the  me- 
chanic. Many  educators  and  patrons  refused  to  accept  his  maxims 
and  opposed  him  at  every  step.  There  was  division  and  disloyalty 
in  the  Faculty.  Had  the  Board  been  less  determined  in  their 
assistance,  the  whole  reorganization  might  have  ended  in  a  fiasco 
and  in  the  speedy  removal  of  the  College  to  Lawrence  to  become 
a  department  of  the  State  University.  For  six  years  Regent  Wood 
stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  administration  and  the  best 
interests  of  the  institution,  and  helped  to  find  ways  and  means  to 
make  this  a  College  for  the  farmer  and  the  mechanic. 

In  a  letter  to  the  writer,  dated  June  15,  '98,  Mr.  Wood  said:  "If 
you  can  remember,  when  I  came  into  the  Board  there  were  less 
than  a  hundred  students  in  actual  attendance  and  a  lot  of  debts; 
when  I  left  there  were  several  hundred  and  about  $10,000  in  the 
expense  fund.  I  am  prouder  of  my  work  there  than  of  any  other 
public  service  I  have  done.  But  the  best  thing  we  did  for  the  Col- 
lege, next  to  getting  Fairchild  at  its  head,  was  the  placing  of  it 
before  the  legislature  and  convincing  them  that  in  accepting  the 
land  grant  they  had  pledged  the  State  to  provide  funds,  room,  and 
appliances." 

Stephen  M.  Wood  was  born  at  Mount  Gilead,  Ohio,  in  1832.  He 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  received  a  common  school  education. 


KANSAS   STATU    A(  JKICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


7:; 


In  1855  he  engaged  in  running  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  until  L861, 
when  he  entered  the  volunteer  army  as  second  Lieutenant  of  the 
Sixth  Missouri  Cavalry.  Here  he  was  rapidly  promoted  until  in 
1S64  he  became  pontoon  brigade  quartermaster.  In  the  spring 
of  1866  he  came  to  Kansas  and  located  in  Diamond  Creek  town- 
ship, near  Elmdale,  Chase  county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death 


Hon.  Stephen  M.  Wood. 


in  1906.  His  farm  of  640  acres  was  one  of  the  finest  in  the  State. 
Mr.  Wood  twice  represented  Chase  county  in  the  lower  house 
of  the  legislature,  and  was  senator  from  his  district  once.  He  be- 
came a  Regent  of  this  College  in  April,  1877,  and  was  reappointed 
in  1880.  During  the  last  four  years  he  was  president  of  the 
Board.  As  has  already  been  stated,  no  small  part  of  the  progress 
of  the  College  in  those  eventful  days  was  due  to  his  clear  insight 
in  all  matters  of  financial  or  practical  nature,  and  his  earnest  and 
energetic  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  trust.  Hon.  Stephen 
M.  Wood  deserves  to  be  named  among  the  prominent  "Makers  of 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College." 
—6 


74  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


VIII. 

FROM  1878  TO  1879— PROF.  GEO.  H.  FAIL YER— PROF.  E.  POPENOE— SECY.  I.  D. 

GRAHAM. 

FROM  February  to  December,  1879,  and  to  some  extent  from 
the  time  of  Anderson's  nomination  for  United  States  repre- 
sentative, the  executive  work  of  the  College  was  faithfully  per- 
formed by  the  acting  president,  Prof.  M.  L.  Ward.  It  was  a  try- 
ing year  for  the  yet  feeble  institution.  Against  Anderson's  wishes, 
the  College  naturally  became  the  battle-ground  for  much  of  the 
usual  legitimate  and  illegitimate  campaign  work,  and  the  target 
for  his  opposition.  The  nomination,  by  the  Greenback  Party,  of 
Ex-Prof.  E.  Gale  for  congressman  made  the  political  sky  red  hot, 
especially  in  Manhattan  and  Riley  county.  The  Greenback  Party, 
a  forerunner  of  the  Populist  phalanx,  was  strong  and  belligerent 
in  this  campaign  and,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  two  opposing  can- 
didates— Anderson  and  Gale — had  been  anything  but  good  friends 
for  several  years.  The  Faculty,  though  loyal  to  the  great  trust,  was 
not  as  harmonious  as  could  have  been  wished,  and  there  had  been 
changes  made  in  two  of  the  chairs  during  the  summer.  All  the 
officers  were  underpaid  and  overworked,  and  there  was  no  chance 
to  increase  salaries  or  the  teaching  force,  the  legislature  of  1877 
having  decreed  that  not  over  $15,000  of  the  interest  on  the  endow- 
ment fund  should  be  used  to  pay  instructors  or  teachers  in  said 
College  until  the  debts  of  said  College  be  paid  in  full,  and  "until 
said  College  shall  refund  to  the  State  all  moneys  advanced  by  the 
State  to  pay  for  instructors  and  running  expenses. "  In  accord- 
ance with  this  "ukase,"  the  salaries  of  the  majority  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Faculty  had  been  reduced,  in  some  cases  as  much  as 
$400,  while  the  work  was  constantly  increasing  in  all  directions. 
In  his  department  report  for  1878-'79,  Professor  Ward  said:  "In 
the  discharge  of  my  duties  as  a  professor,  I  will  simply  say  that  I 
have  done  as  best  I  could  under  the  circumstances,  "  and  a  prom- 
inent friend  of  the  institution  wrote:  "It  was  a  year  of  drudgery 
and  heroic  devotion  to  the  cause  and  to  the  College,  for  which  the 
Acting  President  and  his  collaborators  received  neither  proper 
credit  on  the  part  of  a  wrangling  Board,  nor  proper  pay  on  the 
part  of  a  rich  State." 

PROF.   GEO.   H.   FAIL  YER. 

Prof.  George  H.  Faiiyer,  M.  Sc,  was  born  in  December,  1849,  on 
a  farm  in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa.  When  he  was  six  years  old  his 
father  moved  to  Page  county,  Iowa,  then  on  the  extreme  frontier, 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  7.") 

and  settled  on  a  preemption  claim.  There  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  afterwards  studied  at  the  Amity  Academy  for  two 
terms.  In  April,  L868,  he  accompanied  his  father  to  southeast 
Kansas,  and  took  up  a  claim  in  connection  with  his  father  on  the 
Cherokee  neutral  lands.  From  this  time  to  September,  1873,  he 
was  engaged  in  the  usual  farm  work  of  a  new  country.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1873,  he  entered  the  third  year  of  the  (then)  six-year 
course  at  this  College,  and  graduated  in  1877 — having  found  time 
during  his  course  for  special  work  in  chemistry.  After  gradua- 
tion he  taught  school  for  one  year  in  Chautauqua  county,  Kansas, 
and  was  called  from  there  in  1878  to  the  chair  of  chemistry  of  his 
alma  mater.  In  1879  he  received  the  degree  of  master  of  science. 
Prom  the  necessities  of  the  institution,  the  teaching  of  various 
other  subjects  at  different  times  fell  to  his  lot,  especially  mineral- 
ogy, physics,  meteorology,  and  geology.  In  1880  he  spent  a  term 
in  special  study  under  Prof.  R.  C.  Kedzie,  at  the  Michigan  Agri- 
cultural College.  He  was  one  of  the  chemists  of  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  and  has  been  president  of  the  Kansas  Academy  of 
Science,  who,  in  recognition  of  his  valuable  services,  elected  him 
in  1892  to  an  honorary  life  membership.  At  the  organization  of 
the  State  Experiment  Station  he  was  made  chemist  of  the  Station. 
He  is  the  author  of  a  hand-book  for  students  in  qualitative  analy- 
sis, and  the  inventor  of  chemical  apparatus  and  methods  of  some 
importance  in  this  branch. 

Professor  Failyer  lost  his  chair  in  1897  in  the  populist  "reor- 
ganization," and  has  since  his  resignation  worked  as  expert  in  the 
Division  of  Soils  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C. 

PROF.  E.  A.  POPENOE. 

Prof.  Edwin  Alonzo  Popenoe,  A.  M.,  was  born  in  1853,  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio,  and  received  his  primary  education  in  the 
common  schools  and  in  the  village  high  school  in  McLean  county, 
Illinois.  Removing,  in  1869,  to  Topeka,  Kan.,  he  began  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  a  preparatory  course  in  Washburn  College,  where  he 
studied  six  years,  graduating  in  the  classical  course  in  1876,  and 
receiving  the  degree  of  master  of  arts  from  the  same  institution  a 
few  years  later.  After  graduation  he  taught  a  year  in  the  Shaw- 
nee county  schools,  and  a  second  as  principle  of  the  Quincy  school, 
in  North  Topeka,  resigning  the  latter  position  in  1879  to  accept 
the  chair  of  botany  and  horticulture  in  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, where  his  duties  included  the  instruction  of  classes  in  zoology 
and  entomology  and  the  superintendence  of  the  orchards,  gardens, 
and  grounds.     At  the  division  of  duties  in  1883,  he  was  assigned  to 


76 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


the  chair  of  horticulture  and  entomology,  which  he  occupied  till 
1897,  when  the  populists  asked  him  to  resign.  In  1899,  he  was 
reelected  and  occupied  the  chair  of  zoology  till  1908,  when  he  re- 
tired to  his  beautiful  farm  near  Topeka. 

The  professor  is  a  member  of  the  American  Ornithologist's  Un- 
ion, a  life  member  in  the  Kansas  State  Horticultural  Society  and 
in  the  American  Pomological  Society.     He  was  vice-president  for 


Secy,  I.  D.  Graham. 


Kansas  in  the  American  Forestry  Association,  and  secretary  of  the 
American  Horticultural  Society.  He  was  for  many  years  secre- 
tary of  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science,  and  one  of  the  official  en- 
tomologists to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

SECY.    I.    D.    GRAHAM. 

Secy.  Ira  Day  Graham,  A.  M.,  was  born  in  Vinton,  Iowa,  on 
August  29,  1856.  Two  years  later  his  parents  removed  to  Knox 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  grew  up.  He  received  the  usual  common- 
school  training,  and  entered  Abington  College,  Abington,  111.,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years.  From  that  college  he  received  the  degree 
of  bachelor  of  science,  and  in  1885  the  honorary  degree  of  master 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


77 


of  arts  from  Eureka  College,  Eureka,  III.  After  leaving  college 
he  served  several  years  as  a  telegraph  operator  and  railroad  agent, 
and  taught  a  number  of  terms  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois 
and  Kansas.  In  L879  he  was  elected  instructor  in  telegraphy  in 
the  State  Agricultural  College.  Later  he  was  made  Secretary  of 
the  College  and  teacher  of  bookkeeping  and  commercial  law.  He 
resigned  in  1898  to  become  a  partner  in  the  Sedalia(Mo.)  Business 
College.  Later  he  turned  to  newspaper  work.  He  became  travel- 
ing reporter  and  agent  of  the  Topeka  Capital  and  still  later  associate 
editor  and  partner  of  the  Kansas  Parmer  Company,  which  position 
he  still  occupies.  Mr.  Graham  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  dif- 
ferent agricultural  organizations  of  the  State  and  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Kansas  Dairy  Association. 

FACULTY  ROSTER  IN  1879. 
At  the  close  of  Anderson's  presidency,  that  is,  in  December, 
1879,  the  Faculty  consisted  of  the  following  members:  John  A. 
Anderson,  A.  M.,  president,  and  professor  of  political  economy. 
Milan  L.  Ward,  A.  M.,  professor  of  mathematics  and  English. 
Edward  M.  Shelton,  M.  S.,  professor  of  practical  agriculture, 
superintendent  farm.  George  H.  Pailyer,  M.  S.,  professor  of 
chemistry  and  physics.  Edwin  A.  Popenoe,  A.  M.,  professor  of 
botany  and  zoology,  superintendent  of  orchards  and  gardens. 
Jeremiah  E.  Piatt,  A.  M.,  professor  of  elementary  English  and 
mathematics.  John  D.  Walters,  instructor  in  industrial  drawing. 
Timothy  T.  Hawkes,  superintendent  of  the  workshops.  George 
P.  Thomson,  acting  superintendent  of  printing.  Ira  D.  Graham, 
superintendent  of  telegraphy.  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Cripps,  teacher  of 
household  economy  and  hygiene,  superintendent  of  sewing.  Wil- 
liam L.  Hofer,  teacher  of  instrumental  music. 


78  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


IX. 

ELECTION  OF  PRES.  GEO.  T.  FAIRCHILD -A  PERIOD  OP  PROGRESS  — STATE  AP- 
PROPRIATIONS FROM  1880  TO  1897— PERMANENT  IMPROVEMENTS  FROM  1880  TO 
1897 -APPARATUS  AND  LIBRARY  — FARMERS'  INSTITUTES  AND  AGRICUL- 
TURAL EXPERIMENTS -THE  FACULTY. 

THE  election  in  the  fall  of  1879  of  Pres.  George  T.  Fairchild, 
formerly  professor  of  English  literature  in  the  Michigan 
Agricultural  College,  ended  the  "interregnum"  and  gave  a  new 
impetus  to  the  institution.  The  new  president  was  an  earnest, 
methodical  and  quiet  man,  a  keen  observer,  and  a  patient  worker. 

The  wish  of  the  Faculty  and  the  Board,  that  no  radical  changes 
be  made  in  the  policy,  met  with  his  fullest  accord.  Yet  his  educa- 
tional experience,  the  result  of  similar  work  at  the  oldest  agricul- 
tural school  of  the  land,  soon  bore  fruit  in  the  adoption  of  improved 
methods  of  instruction  and  a  better  adjustment  of  work  and  exist- 
ing means.  The  collegiate  year  was  divided  into  three  nearly 
equal  terms  of  14,  12  and  11  weeks  respectively,  instead  of  two  un- 
equal terms  as  before.  The  course  was  strengthened  by  more 
definite  classification  of  students,  and  by  adding  a  term  of  psy- 
chology to  the  work  of  the  fourth,  and  English  literature  and  en- 
gineering to  the  work  of  the  third  year.  The  system  of  industrial 
training  was  broadened  by  distinct  arrangement  in  shops,  farm 
and  garden,  kitchen  laboratory,  dairy,  and  sewing  rooms.  The 
preparatory,  or  "B"  first-year  class,  which  had  been  organized  in 
1878  by  Acting-President  Ward,  was  maintained,  but  it  was  re- 
served only  for  students  from  the  country  who  were  over  eighteen 
years  old  and  who  could  not  pass  the  entering  examination.  A 
scheme  of  Friday  afternoon  lectures  and  declamations  was  inau- 
gurated, and  weekly  rhetorical  exercises  were  added  to  the  work  of 
all  classes.  Monday  afternoon  Faculty  meetings  for  the  discus- 
sion of  ways,  means  and  discipline  were  organized.  Standing 
committees  on  grounds  and  buildings,  public  exercises,  social  and 
literary  entertainments,  class  grades,  postgraduate  work,  farm- 
ers' institutes,  museum,  library,  Industrialist,  physical  exercise, 
etc.,  were  appointed,  and  a  more  comprehensive  system  of  ac- 
counting adopted — the  secretary  of  the  Faculty,  Mr.  I.  D.  Gra- 
ham, being  given  direct  responsibility  for  accounts  with  all  funds 
and  all  departments. 

It  is  not  possible,  within  the  limited  space  of  this  sketch,  to 
speak  at  length  of  the  development  of  the  College  during  the 
seventeen  years  of  Fairchild 's  presidency,  for  there  was  progress 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  79 

in  everything.     Many  important  improvements  or  reforms  must 

be  overlooked  entirely,  while  many  others  have  not  yet  had  time  to 
produce  their  intended  effects,  and  can  hardly  be  considered  his- 
tory. 

The  number  of  students  increased  almost  every  year,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  following  schedule: 


Year. 

Attendance. 

Year. 

A  ttendance, 

1878-'79 

207 

1888- '89 

445 

1879-'80. 

270 

1889-'90 

514 

1880- '81. . 

207 

312 

347 

395 

1890- '91 

590 

1881-'82 

1891-'92  . 

584 

1882- '83. . 

1892- '93 

587 

1883-'84 

1893- '94 

555 

1884- '85 

401 

1894-'95 

572 

1885-'86 

428 

1895-'96 

647 

1886-'87 

481 

1896-'97 

734 

1887-'88 

472 

The  senior  classes   showed  a  similar  increase.     In  1880,  the 

class  numbered  7 ;  in  1888,  22;  in  1889,  25;  in  1890,  27;  in  1891,  52; 

in  1892,  35;  in  1895,  57,  and  in  1896,  66.     During  this  period  the 

postgraduate  students    increased   from    2    in    1879-'80   to    46   in 

1896- '97. 

STATE  APPROPRIATIONS  PROM  1880  TO  1897. 

During  the  presidency  of  Mr.  Fairchild  the  Kansas  State  Agri- 
cultural College  has  received  appropriations  by  the  legislature  as 
follows : 

Biennial  Session,  1881 $  52,729  09 

Biennial  Session,  1883 25,500  00 

Biennial  Session,  1885 22,013  44 

Biennial  Session,  1887 22,128  79 

Biennial  Session,  1889 19,325  91 

Biennial  Session,  1891 13,166  75 

Biennial  Session,  1893 78,525  00 

Biennial  Session,  1895 27,805  00 

Biennial  Session.  1897 50,300  00 


Total. $311,493  98 

(These  appropriations  do  not*  include  the  per  diem  and  mileage  pay  for 
the  Board.) 

In  addition  to  these  cash  items,  the  College  received  from  the 
State  the  necessary  printing  and  binding  since  1883,  and  all 
needed  fuel  since  1889 — privileges  which,  for  the  last  few  years, 
aggregated  between  $2000  and  $3000  annually.  No  appropriations 
were  made  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1880,  but  in  the  following 
year  the  legislature,  in  addition  to  the  appropriation  stated  above, 
made  provisions  for  the  restoration  by  the  State  of  $17,979.09  of 
endowment  and  income  which  had  become  lost  to  the  College  from 
various  causes  during  the  past  ten  years,  and  which,  according  to 
the  organic  act,  and  with  the  agreement  of  the  legislature,  the 


80 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


State  was  bound  to  replace,  so  that  the  capital  of  the  fund  "shall 
remain  forever  undiminished."  The  main  part  of  the  appropria- 
tions for  this  period  was  received  for  the  erection  of  the  main 
College  hall  and  the  extensive  farm  buildings.  No  appropriations 
were  asked  or  received  for  teachers'  salaries  or  running  expenses 
during  Fairchild's  presidency. 

IMPROVEMENTS   PROM    1880   to    1897. 

The  most  important  improvement  made  under  President  Fair- 
child's  administration  is  the  finishing  of  the  main  College  build- 


Anderson  Hall. 


ing,  i.  e.,  of  its  central  part,  in  1882,  of  its  south  wing  in  1884,  and 
of  its  chapel  addition  in  1887.  The  building  was  planned  by  Presi- 
dent Anderson  in  1877,  and  owes  its  peculiar  form  of  three  sepa- 
rate wings  or  parts,  connected  by  lower  corridors,  to  the  expected 
difficulty  of  obtaining  a  sufficient  appropriation  by  the  legislature 
for  the  entire  completion  in  one  fiscal  period.  The  plans  and 
superintendence  were  furnished  for  the  principal  structure  by 
Architect  E.  T.  Carr,  of  Leavenworth,  and  for  the  chapel  addition 
by  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters.  President  Fairchild  changed  the  original 
designs  in  several  particulars,  notably  by  adding  an  attic  to  the 
central  part  and  a  basement  to  the  south  wing  —  additions  which, 
without  materially  increasing  the  cost,  improved  both  the  appear- 
ance and  the  capacity.  The  building  as  it  now  stands  has  cost 
about  $75,000. 

Of  other  permanent  improvements,  may  be  named  the  erection, 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  OOLLEG] 


81 


in  L885,  of  a  President's  residence;  the  construction,  in  L885,  of 
the  north  wing  of  the  barn,  and  the  addition  to  this  of  the  piggery, 
in  1886;  the  rebuilding  of  Armory  Hall,  in  the  same  year;  the 
placing  in  Mechanics'  Hall  of  a  steam  engine  and  a  number  of  fine 
wood-working  machines,  in  1885-'87;  the  building  of  the  green- 
house, in  1883;  the  enlargement  of  the  chapel,  in  1887;  of  the 
horticultural  laboratory,  in  1888,  and  of  the  horticultural  barn,  in 
1889.     The  plans  and  superintendence  for  these  buildings  were 


Br 

,  ^P** 

"''->. 

Mechanics'  Hall. 


furnished  by  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters.  In  1883  and  1884  the  main 
roads  of  the  farm  were  graveled,  and  in  the  spring  of  1885  the 
grounds  were  platted  for  planting  and  future  improvement  in 
road  building  by  a  professional  landscape  gardener,  Max.  Kern,  of 
St.  Louis.  In  the  same  year  a  tract  of  forty-four  acres  of  land 
was  added  to  the  farm  by  purchase,  sixteen  acres  having  been 
added  some  years  previous.  In  the  spring  of  1891  another  small 
tract  of  about  four  acres  was  bought.  The  College  now  possessed 
in  two  farms  a  total  of  319  acres. 

The  President's  residence  mentioned  above  was  a  neat  and  solid 
two-story  stone  structure  of  eleven  rooms.  It  had  cost  about 
$6000.  The  building  burned  to  the  ground  on  the  night  of  April 
5,   '95,  being  struck  by  lightning.     President  Fairchild  had  his 


82 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


furniture  insured  for  $600  and  his  library  for  $900.     The  site  of 
the  residence  is  now  occupied  by  Agricultural  Hall. 

In  1888,  the  city  of  Manhattan  built  a  very  complete  system  of 
waterworks,  with  a  pumping  station  near  Blue  river,  and  a 
capacious  double  reservoir  on  top  of  Bluemont,  a  neighboring  hill 
several  feet  higher  than  the  tower  of  the  main  building  of  the 
College.  In  the  following  winter  the  legislature  appropriated 
$3000  for  an  extension  of  the  pipe  line  upon  the  College  campus, 
and  about  the  4th  of  July,  1889,  the  buildings,  greenhouses  and 


Barn. 


lawns  were  supplied  with  an  abundance  of  pure  water — a  con- 
siderable factor  in  the  economy  of  the  scientific  and  agricultural 
departments,  and  a  safeguard,  in  case  of  fire,  for  the  buildings 
and  other  property.  Another  appropriation  of  $3000,  made  by 
the  legislature  of  1891,  for  an  extension  of  the  water  service,  and 
for  water-closets  and  sewers,  provided  the  College  with  a  com- 
plete water  and  drainage  system. 

The  same  legislature  appropriated  $4000  for  an  addition  to  the 
mechanical  workshops,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the  needed 
room  for  the  extension  of  the  course  in  iron  work,  and  Prof.  O.  P. 
Hood,  with  characteristic  inventiveness  and  energy,  and  doing  a 
large  part  of  the  work  with  his  pupils,  built  a  roomy,  well-lighted 
and  ventilated  shop,  mostly  of  stone  and  steel,  which  will  be  a 
model  for  its  purpose  for  years  to  come. 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEt 


33 


The  inventory  of  L892  of  the  College  enumerates  the  following 
lands,  buildings,  and  equipments: 


Total  Dumber  of  aores B19 

Aimvn  under  cultivation x':u> 

Acres  used  tor  experiments 180 

Value  of  lands $88,700  00 

Value  of  farm  buildings 10,760  00 


\  alue  of  farm  equipments %  14 

Value  of  shops ii 

Value  ol  shop  equipments 18,1 16  88 

Value  of  ail  other  buildings 114.850  00 

Value  of  all  other  equipments 99.i:*7  78 


APPARATUS  AND  LIBRARY. 

Carefully  made  purchases  of  scientific  apparatus,  and  untiring 
efforts  in  gathering  natural-history  specimens,  gradually  provided 
the  different  departments  with  equipments  valued  all  together  at 
more  than  $150,000.  Much  credit  for  this  was  due  to  individual 
effort  of  the  professors.  The  rapidly  growing  collections  from  the 
fields  of  zoology,  botany,  entomology,  mineralogy  and  geology  cost 
the  College  almost  nothing.  Not  even  the  Board  of  Regents,  per- 
haps, were  aware  of  the  esprit  du  corps  existing  among  the  Faculty 
with  regard  to  this  and  other  matters. 

The  library  was  moved  to  the  northeast  wing  of  the  main  build- 
ing from  the  northwest  room  of  the  old  Bluemont  College  building 
in  1878  by  Acting  President  M.  L.  Ward,  who  was  the  librarian 
from  1875  until  1883.  It  consisted  at  that  time  of  less  than  1250 
valuable  and  well-preserved  books;  the  remainder,  some  800  vol- 
umes, were  either  entirely  worn  out,  or  they  were  works  of  almost 
no  use  or  value — old  Greek  and  Latin  dictionaries  and  commenta- 
ries, religious  monographs,  sermons,  old  and  poorly  printed  fic- 
tion, government  reports,  etc. — a  state  of  things  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  greater  part  of  the  col- 
lection consisted  of  donations,  solicited  in  the  eastern  states  by 
Pres.  Joseph  Denison  and  Agent  I.  T.  Goodnow,  and  that  during 
Anderson's  presidency  neither  funds  nor  space  were  available  for 
this  purpose.  Prom  that  time,  however,  there  was  rapid  growth. 
Acting  librarian,  Prof.  W.  H.  Cowles,  reported  the  number  of 
books  on  the  shelves  June  30,  1884,  at  5740  bound  volumes,  1300 
pamphlets,  and  several  hundred  duplicates.  A  card  catalogue  of 
topics,  commenced  by  Professor  Cowles,  was  completed  to  date, 
in  1885,  by  the  acting  librarian,  Prof.  B.  P.  Nihart. 

Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  took  charge  of  the  library  in  September,  1886. 
His  first  report  catalogues  6572  bound  volumes,  2350  pamphlets, 
and  360  duplicates,  valued  in  the  aggregate  at  $10,358.51.  In  1888 
the  number  had  grown  to  7453  bound  volumes,  2490  pamphlets, 
and  352  duplicates,  with  a  total  valuation  of  $12,172.04;  and  in  1890, 
to  9749  bound  volumes.  349  duplicate  volumes,  and  3126  pamphlets 
— a  total  of  13,224.  In  1897  the  College  library  consisted  of  over 
16,000  bound  volumes  and  about  4000  pamphlets,  and  was  valued 


84 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


at  over  $31,000.  It  was  selected  mainly  with  a  view  to  supple- 
menting the  class-room  instruction  in  the  various  departments 
and  the  work  of  the  Experiment  Station.  One  of  the  main  endeav- 
ors of  the  Faculty  was  to  complete  the  sets  of  government  and 
State  reports  pertaining  to  agriculture,  horticulture,  finance,  and 
education.  Hundreds  of  letters  were  written  to  government  offi- 
cers, in  all  parts  of  the  country,  soliciting  such  volumes.  Sets  of 
leading  scientific  and  literary  magazines  were  completed  by  pick- 


... ,  .... 

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ing  up  missing  numbers  or  volumes  wherever  there  was  a  chance. 
The  books  were  indexed  in  a  card  catalogue  and  all  students  were 
given  free  access  to  the  book  shelves. 

FARMERS'    INSTITUTES. 

The  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  from  its  foundation, 
recognized  the  farmers'  institute  as  a  means  for  disseminating 
newly  discovered  facts  and  methods  pertaining  to  agriculture  and 
horticulture.  Short  conventions  of  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity  of 
Manhattan  were  held  at  the  College  as  far  back  as  1864.  The  first 
well-organized  and  widely-advertized  farmers'  institute  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Faculty  was  held  in  Manhattan,  January  2-10, 1872. 
It  was  well  attended  by  representative  farmers  from  all  parts  of 
the  State.  During  Anderson's  presidency  little  was  done  in  this 
direction,  chiefly  because  the  newly  organized  industrial  depart- 
ments demanded  the  undivided  attention  of  the  teachers;  but  upon 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  85 

the  election  of  President  Fairchild  the  College  arranged  Cor  the 
holding  every  winter  of  at  least  six  institutes,  in  as  many  different 

counties  in  tin4  State,  and  increased  the  number  a  few  years  later 
to  eight,  and  still  later  to  ten.  A  permanent  faculty  committer 
was  appointed  to  arrange  with  parties  interested,  and  there  was 
considerable  enthusiasm  within  and  without  the  institution  with 
regard  to  this  practical  work.  The  farmers'  institute  proved  a 
valuable  means  for  strengthening  the  tie  between  the  College  and 
its  patrons,  and  for  bringing  the  best  element  of  the  youth  of  the 
State  to  its  class  rooms. 

The  institutes  were  usually  held  during  the  months  of  Decem- 
ber, January,  and  February,  but  application  was  required  by  the 
1st  of  November.  The  plan  or  program  of  these  gathering  was 
simple.  They  became  meetings  of  farmers  and  their  families 
with  the  representatives  from  the  College  for  mutual  discussion 
and  information  upon  matters  of  interest  in  farm  life,  including 
the  home.  The  local  expenses  for  hall,  advertising,  etc.,  were 
met  by  the  institute.  The  College  sent  three  or  more  members 
of  the  Faculty,  paying  all  their  expenses. 

During  the  seventeen  years  of  Fairchild's  presidency  nearly 
150  of  such  "College  extension  courses  "  were  conducted  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Faculty  in  different  parts  of  the  State.  Some  fif- 
teen or  more  institutes,  attended  by  one  or  two  members  of  the 
Faculty,  are  not  enumerated  in  this  statement.  In  most  of  the 
counties  where  these  institutes  were  held  permanent  organizations 
for  effecting  such  gatherings  once  a  year  or  oftener  were  formed, 
and  the  reports  from  all  parts  of  the  State  showed  that  the  good 
work  was  and  is  still  kept  up  by  local  interest. 

In  February,  1895,  the  College  made  an  unsuccessful  experiment 
with  a  "  Short  Farmers'  Course."  It  lasted  two  weeks  and  had  a 
rich  and  varied  program,  but,  although  well  advertised,  it  was 
poorly  attended.  In  1896  the  experiment  was  repeated,  but  the 
results  were  no  better,  the  attendance  from  beyond  Manhattan 
never  amounting  to  over  a  dozen.  In  1897  the  experiment  was 
abandoned,  to  be  revived  again  with  success  in  1907. 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENTS  BEFORE  1897. 

Inexpensive  attempts  at  field  and  laboratory  experiments  were 
made  by  Professors  Gale,  Shelton,  Kedzie,  Failyer  and  others  from 
the  time  the  Agricultural  College  built  its  first  chemical  laboratory 
and  planted  its  first  garden  and  nursery,  but  the  income  of  the  in- 
stitution was  so  limited  that  very  little  could  be  accomplished.  In 
Chapter  XIV  will  be  found  a  synopsis  of  the  work  from  the  begin- 


86  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

ning  to  the  present  day.  During  the  presidency  of  Professor 
Fairchild  this  work  gained  a  new  aspect  by  the  passage  by  Con- 
gress, in  1887,  of  the  "Hatch  bill,"  which  provided  for  the  organ- 
ization in  each  State  of  a  station  for  experiments  in  line  promotive 
of  agriculture.  The  legislature  designated  this  College  as  the 
proper  place  for  the  Kansas  station,  and  measures  were  taken  to 
carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  bill.  A  small  building,  with  five 
greenhouses  attached,  was  erected,  and  experiments,  mostly  in  the 
line  of  seed  and  variety  testing,  were  at  once  begun — work  that 
during  the  last  dozen  years  resulted  in  much  good  to  the  State. 
(See  Chapter  XIV.) 

THE  FACULTY. 

The  steady  growth  of  the  College  made  necessary  an  increase 
in  the  teaching  force,  and  this  again  made  possible  the  assigning 
of  the  work  of  instruction  to  specialists.  Among  the  teachers  of 
special  sciences  or  arts  who  were  added  to  the  Faculty  during  this 
period,  and  who  have  identified  themselves  with  the  peculiar  work 
of  the  College,  are:  Mrs.  Nellie  S.  Kedzie,  M.  S.,  a  graduate  of  the 
College,  who  took  charge  of  the  Department  of  Household  Econ- 
omy and  Hygiene  in  the  fall  of  1882;  Prof.  W.  A.  Kellerman,  Ph. 
D.,  who  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  botany  in  the  fall  of  1883;  Prof. 
David  E.  Lantz,  M.  S.,  who  became  teacher  of  mathematics  and 
surveying  in  the  fall  of  1883;  Prof.  Oscar  E.  Olin,  who  was  called 
to  the  chair  of  English  language  and  literature  in  1886 ;  Prof.  Alex- 
ander B.  Brown,  A.  M.,  who  was  elected  to  take  charge  of  the 
Music  Department  in  the  fall  of  1886;  Prof.  Ozni  P.  Hood,  B.  S., 
who  entered  upon  his  work  as  superintendent  of  the  shops  and 
teacher  of  mechanics  and  engineering  in  1887;  Prof.  Francis  H. 
White,  A.  M.,  who  became  instructor  of  history  and  constitutional 
law  in  the  fall  of  1888;  Prof.  Charles  C.  Georgeson,  M.  S.,  who  was 
called  to  the  chair  of  agriculture  in  the  winter  of  1890;  Prof.  Ern- 
est R.  Nichols,  A.  M.,  who  was  made  instructor  in  physics  in  the 
fall  of  1890;  Dr.  Nelson  S.  Mayo,  D.  V.  S.,  M.  S.,  who  was  elected 
professor  of  physiology  and  veterinary  science  in  the  fall  of  1890; 
Prof.  Julius  T.  Willard,  M.  S.,  a  graduate  of  the  College,  who 
became  assistant  professor  of  chemistry  in  1891;  Prof.  Albert  S. 
Hitchcock,  M.  S.,  who  was  called  to  the  chair  of  botany  in  the 
fall  of  1891;  and  Prof.  Silas  C.  Mason,  M.  S.,  a  graduate  of  the 
College,  who  was  made  assistant  professor  of  horticulture  in  the 
summer  of  1892. 

The  annual  reports  of  the  several  State  and  national  societies 
for  the  advancement  of  pure  and  applied  science  give  witness  to 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLPXiE 


87 


the  extended  work  carried  on  in  the  studies  and  Laboratories  of 
the  Faculty  of  this  period.  Prof.  W.  A.  Kellerman,  who  Left  the 
institution  in  the  fall  of  L89J  to  accept  a  call  by  the  State  Univer- 
sity of  Ohio,  with  promise  of  increased  salary,  published  several 
books  on  his  special  branches  while  here  as  "Elements  of  Bot- 
any," a  text-book  for  schools,  treating  histology,  vegetable  and 
economic  botany,  and  organography.  At  the  time  of  its  publica- 
tion, in  1884,  a  critic  in  Science  said:  "It  comes  nearer  to  filling  a 


aJfe^lfr, 

s 

If'    s 

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ill 

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If        "? 

^     m 

'^BH 

Ipillili  Ills,  \ 

lllllll  >    Jfj§|:;;V> 

%i'XW. 

'              ■'     ■■■■■.■!■       ' 

J;>;-:V _.-...      :-.  ,;■-; .^; 

The  Faculty  in  1888. 


serious  gap  in  botanical  literature  than  any  other  thus  far  pub- 
lished." Also,  "Plant  Analysis,  or  Key  to  the  Dichotomal  Plan 
for  Identifying  Plants  East  of  the  Mississippi."  Also,  "Analyti- 
cal Flora  of  Kansas,"  and  a  "Kansas  School  Botany."  The  gen- 
eral use  of  these  works  attests  their  value.  The  professor  also 
prepared  numerous  papers  in  various  State  reports,  the  two  of 
special  importance  to  Kansas  being  "The  Kansas  Forest  Trees 
Identified  by  Leaves  and  Fruit" — the  first  work  of  the  kind  ever 
published  in  the  United  States — and  the  "Native  Grasses  of  Kan- 
sas." Prof.  Geo.  H.  Failyer  published  a  hand-book  for  students 
of  analytical  chemistry;  Prof.  Edwin  A.  Popenoe  prepared  several 
students 'hand-books  on  entomology;  Prof.  A.  B.  Brown  published 
a  text-book  on  musical  theory,  "Brown's  Chromatic  Musical 
Charts;"  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters  published  a  series  of  text-books  on 
free-hand  drawing  and  designing,  and  Prof.  Julius  T.  Willard,  a 
text-book  on  organic  chemistry. 


88  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


THE  COLLEGE-AID  BILL  — NEW  EQUIPMENTS. 

ON  THE  25th  day  of  March,  1890,  Senator  Justin  A.  Morrill,  of 
Vermont,  who  in  1859  and  1862  had  been  the  prime  mover 
of  the  agricultural  college  land-grant  bill,  carried  out  his  long-ex- 
pressed intention  of  introducing  a  bill  for  "the  more  complete  en- 
dowment and  support  of  colleges  for  the  advancement  of  scientific 
and  industrial  education,  and  other  purposes."  The  bill  was  at 
once  referred  to  the  committee  on  education  and  labor  of  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  As  soon  as  the  welcome  news 
reached  the  executive  committee  of  the  Association  of  American 
Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations,  a  meeting  was 
called,  in  order  to  take  active  measures  to  urge  its  passage  in  the 
Fifty-first  Congress.  A  sub-committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  President  Alvord,  of  the  Maryland  Agricultural  College;  Presi- 
dent Lee,  of  the  Mississippi  Agricultural  College;  President 
Scott,  of  the  Ohio  State  University;  and  President  Smart,  of  Pur- 
due University,  to  act  on  behalf  of  the  association.  This  commit- 
tee conferred  with  the  Senate  committee,  and,  after  several  con- 
ferences, succeeded  in  changing  the  original  bill,  which  included 
provisions  for  aiding  a  large  number  of  schools,  and  which  in  that 
form  could  never  have  become  a  law,  to  nearly  its  ultimate 
language. 

Yielding  considerably  to  their  opinion,  although  the  common- 
school  feature  was  a  cherished  part  of  his  original  plan,  Senator 
Morrill  prepared  a  new  bill,  and  introduced  it  April  30,  1890,  as  a 
substitute  for  the  former  measure.  On  May  17  it  was  favorably 
reported,  with  amendments,  from  the  Senate  committee,  and 
accompanied  by  a  report  which  declared  that  the  land-grant  insti- 
tutions had  done  as  well  as  could  have  been  expected,  and  empha- 
sized that — 

Perhaps  contrary  to  the  general  impression,  the  proper  equipment  of  one 
of  these  colleges  is  far  more  expensive,  being  at  least  ten  times  g'reater  than 
that  of  an  ordinary  classical  institution.  ...  A  college  of  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts  is  not  a  cheap  affair.  ...  It  will  and  oug'ht  to 
cost  something. 

After  being  discussed  on  three  consecutive  days,  and  amended 
with  regard  to  the  clause  referring  to  the  equitable  division  of  the 
appropriation  in  States  where  separate  colleges  for  white  and 
colored  students  had  been  established,  the  bill  passed  the  Senate, 
on  June  23,  by  a  practically  unanimous  vote. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  89 

On  the  following  day  it  was  read  in  the  House  of  Represents 
tives  and  referred  to  the  committee  on  education,  the  committee 
returning  it  on  July  24,  without  amendment  and  accompanied  by 
a  report.  On  the  19th  of  August,  under  a  special  order,  the  bill 
was  considered  and  passed,  without  a  roll-call,  by  a  vote  of  135  to 
39.  One  amendment,  generally  agreed  upon  and  made  known  in 
advance,  was  adopted  by  the  House,  and  in  this  the  Senate  con- 
curred on  the  following  day.  The  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege may  well  pride  itself  with  the  fact  that  this  amendment,  lim- 
iting the  appropriation  "only  to  instruction  in  agriculture,  the 
mechanic  arts,  the  English  language,  and  the  various  branches  of 
mathematical,  physical,  natural  and  economic  science,  with  special 
reference  to  their  applications  in  the  industries  of  life,"  was  un- 
necessary, since  no  instruction  had  been  given  in  its  class  rooms 
for  years  that  did  not  conform  with  this  definition  of  the  meaning 
of  the  original  Morrill  act. 

The  report  of  the  House  committee  on  education  on  the  condi- 
tion of  the  land-grant  colleges,  and  the  general  status  and  educa- 
tional needs  of  the  industrial  classes,  contained  the  following  in- 
teresting paragraphs : 

It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  institutions  have  more  than  justified 
the  anticipation  entertained  by  their  best  friends.  This  is  not  to  assert  that 
they  have  in  all  cases  been  perfectly  successful;  but  they  have  steadily  ad- 
justed themselves  more  and  more  to  the  requirements  of  the  new  situation. 
They  have  gathered  about  themselves  a  large  body  of  men  whose  training 
and  experience  have  prepared  them  to  give  thorough  and  advanced  instruc- 
tion in  modern  science  and  its  applications.  They  have  collected  labora- 
tories, workshops,  farms,  and  apparatus  for  illustration,  experiment,  and 
research.  They  have  so  far  commended  themselves  to  the  people  of  their 
several  states  that  large  sums  of  money  have  been  given  to  provide  build- 
ings and  equipments  suited  to  their  needs,  and  they  have  turned  out  a  body 
of  men  who,  as  teachers,  investigators,  and  leaders  of  industry,  rank  well 
up  with  the  same  class  of  men  anywhere  in  the  world.  According  to  recent 
reports  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  they  have  now  more  than 
10,000  students  under  instruction,  and  their  graduates  are  to  be  found  tak- 
ing high  rank  in  every  department  of  industry.  In  many  states  they  have 
come  to  be  recognized  as  leaders  in  scientific  education,  and  have  done 
much  to  create  and  mold  that  public  sentiment  which  is  now  everywhere  de- 
manding that  the  education  given  in  schools  of  every  grade  shall,  without 
lowering  its  aim,  prepare  more  directly  for  the  actual  pursuits  of  industry. 
Nor  is  it  too  much  to  say  that  their  influence  and  example  have  contributed 
greatly  to  bring  about  the  enlargement  and  reorganization  of  scientific 
education  in  the  older  institutions  of  the  country,  thus  bringing  them  more 
closely  into  harmony  with  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  age. 

One  of  the  most  serious  drawbacks  to  the  success  of  these  colleges  has 
been  the  fact  that  the  grant  of  1862  was  based  upon  representative  popula- 
tion.    The  result  was  that  a  small  state  or  a  new  one  received  only  a  small 

—7 


90  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

grant,  thus  giving  the  least  aid  in  places  where  it  was  most  needed ;  and  the 
grant  was  still  further  diminished  by  reason  of  so  large  a  quantity  of  scrip 
being  thrown  upon  the  market  at  one  time,  thus  reducing  the  average  price 
to  less  than  60  cents  per  acre.  The  present  bill  wisely  proposes  to  rectify 
this  inequality  by  giving  an  equal  amount  to  each  state. 

Notwithstanding  the  prosperous  condition  of  many  of  these  institutions, 
the  fact  remains  that  almost  every  one  of  them  is  crippled  for  want  of 
adequate  funds.  The  meagerness  of  the  original  endowment  has  been  sup- 
plemented, in  many  cases,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the  action  of  the  states,  but 
in  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  needs  of  the  institutions  have  far  outrun 
even  the  most  liberal  of  such  appropriations.  The  fact  is  recognized,  in  a 
general  way,  that  the  cost  of  maintaining  scientific  education  is  far  greater 
than  that  of  maintaining  literary  or  classical  education.  More  numerous 
and  larger  buildings,  more  apparatus  of  every  kind,  and  a  larger  teaching 
force,  are  constantly  required,  and  the  loss  of  apparatus  and  equipment  by 
wear  and  tear  is  immeasurably  greater.  Moreover,  the  field  of  science  and 
the  methods  of  applying  it  in  practical  life  have  so  greatly  enlarged  within 
the  last  twenty-five  years  that  none  but  the  wealthiest  institutions  in  the 
country  have  found  themselves  able  even  passably  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  time.  The  government  of  every  leading  country  outside  of  the 
United  States  has  recognized  the  necessity  of  providing  on  a  large  and 
generous  scale  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  scientific  instruc- 
tion of  every  grade,  from  the  primary  to  the  highest,  and  it  is  everywhere 
regarded  as  one  of  the  first  duties  of  statesmanship  to  see  that  the  citizens 
of  the  country  are  not  left  behind  in  the  race  of  modern  competition  for  lack 
of  any  resource  that  science  can  bring  to  their  aid.  The  margin  of  profit  in 
the  competition  of  modern  industries  is  so  small  and  so  closely  calculated 
that  the  best  instructed  people  will  be  the  winning  people.  It  seems  not  too  much 
to  hope  that  the  government  of  the  United  States  will,  to  the  slight  amount 
provided  for  in  the  pending  bill,  strengthen  the  foundations  it  has  already 
so  wisely  laid,  and  thus  place  itself  abreast  of  the  leading  thought  of  the  age. 

The  act  was  approved  by  President  Harrison,  August  30,  1890, 
and  reads  as  follows : 

An  Act  to  apply  a  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  the  public  lands  to  the  more  complete  endow- 
ment and  support  of  the  colleges  for  the  benefit  of  Agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts 
established  under  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  Congress  approved  July  2,  1862. 

Beit  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  there  shall  be,  and  hereby  is,  annually 
appropriated,  out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated, 
arising  from  the  sales  of  public  lands,  to  be  paid  as  hereinafter  provided, 
to  each  state  and  territory,  for  the  more  complete  endowment  and  mainte- 
nance of  colleges  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  now 
established,  or  which  may  be  hereafter  established,  in  accordance  with  an 
act  of  Congress  approved  July  2,  1862,  the  sum  of  $15,000  for  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1890,  and  an  annual  increase  of  the  amount  of  such  appropriation 
thereafter  for  ten  years  by  an  additional  sum  of  $1000  over  the  preceding- 
year,  and  the  annual  amount  to  be  paid  thereafter  to  each  state  and  terri- 
tory shall  be  $25,000,  to  be  applied  only  to  instruction  in  agriculture,  the 
mechanic  arts,  the  English  language,  and  the  various  branches  of  mathe- 
matical, physical,  natural  and  economic  science,  with  especial  reference  to 
their  applications  in  the   industries  of  life,    and  to  the  facilities  for  such 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  91 

Instruction :  Provided,  'That  no  money  shall  be  paid  out  under  this  act  to 
any  state  or  territory  for  the  support  or  maintenance  of  a  college  where  a 
distinction  of  race  or  color  is  made  in  the  admission  of  students,  but  the 
establishment  and  maintenance  of  such  colleges  separately  for  white  and 

colored  students  shall  be  held  to  be  a  compliance  with  tin;  provisions  of 
this  act  if  the  funds  received  in  such  state  or  territory  be  equitably  divided 
as  hereinafter  set  forth  :  Provided,  That  in  any  state  in  which  there  has  been 
one  college  established  in  pursuance  of  the  act  of  July  2,  18G2,  and  also  in 
which  an  educational  institution  of  like  character  has  been  established,  or 
may  be  hereafter  established,  and  is  now  aided  by  such  state  from  its  own 
revenue,  for  the  education  of  colored  students  in  agriculture  and  the 
mechanic  arts,  however  named  or  styled,  or  whether  or  not  it  has  received 
money  heretofore  under  the  act  to  which  this  act  is  an  amendment,  the  legis- 
lature of  such  state  may  propose  and  report  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior 
a  just  and  equitable  division  of  the  fund  to  be  received  under  this  act 
between  one  college  for  white  students  and  one  institution  for  colored  stu- 
dents, established  as  aforesaid,  which  shall  be  divided  into  parts  and  paid 
accordingly,  and  thereupon  such  institution  for  colored  students  shall  be 
entitled  to  the  benefits  of  this  act  and  subject  to  its  provisions,  as  much  as 
it  would  have  been  if  it  had  been  included  under  the  act  of  1862,  and  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  foregoing  provisions  shall  be  taken  as  a  compliance  with 
the  provision  in  reference  to  separate  colleges  for  white  and  colored  stu- 
dents. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  sum  hereby  appropriated  to  the  states  and  territories 
for  the  further  endowment  and  support  of  colleges  shall  be  annually  paid  on 
or  before  the  31st  day  of  July  of  each  year  by  the  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
upon  the  warrant  of  the  secretary  of  the  interior,  out  of  the  treasury  of  the 
United  States,  to  the  state  or  territorial  treasurer,  or  to  such  officer  as  shall 
be  designated  by  the  laws  of  such  state  or  territory  to  receive  the  same,  who 
shall,  upon  the  order  of  the  trustees  of  the  college  or  institution  for  colored 
students,  immediately  pay  over  said  sums  to  the  treasurers  of  the  respective 
colleges  or  other  institutions  entitled  to  receive  the  same,  and  such  treasur- 
ers shall  be  required  to  report  to  the  secretary  of  agriculture  and  to  the 
secretary  of  the  interior  on  or  before  the  1st  day  of  September  of  each  year 
a  detailed  statement  of  the  amount  so  received,  and  of  its  disbursement.  The 
grants  of  moneys  authorized  by  this  act  are  made  subject  to  the  legislative 
assent  of  the  several  states  and  territories  to  the  purpose  of  said  grants: 
Provided,  That  payments  of  such  installments  of  the  appropriation  herein 
made  as  shall  become  due  to  any  state  before  the  adjournment  of  the  regular 
session  of  legislature  meeting  next  after  the  passage  of  this  act  shall  be 
made  upon  the  assent  of  the  governor  thereof,  duly  certified  to  the  secretary 
of  the  treasury. 

Sec.  3.  That  if  any  portion  of  the  moneys  received  by  the  designated 
officer  of  the  state  or  territory  for  the  further  and  more  complete  endowment, 
support  and  maintenance  of  colleges  or  of  institutions  for  colored  students, 
as  provided  in  this  act,  shall  by  any  action  or  contingency  be  diminished  or 
lost,  or  be  misapplied,  it  shall  be  replaced  by  the  state  or  territory  to  which 
it  belongs,  and  until  so  replaced  no  subsequent  appropriation  shall  be  ap- 
portioned or  paid  to  such  state  or  territory;  no  portion  of  said  moneys  shall 
be  applied,  directly  or  indirectly,  under  any  pretense  whatever,  to  the  pur- 
chase, erection,  preservation  or  repair  of  any  building  or  buildings.  An 
annual  report  by  the  president  of  each  of  said  colleges  shall  be  made  to  the 


92  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

secretary  of  agriculture,  as  well  as  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior,  regard- 
ing' the  condition  and  progress  of  each  college,  including  statistical  informa- 
tion in  relation  to  its  receipts  and  expenditures,  its  library,  the  number  of 
its  students  and  professors,  and  also  as  to  any  improvements  and  experi- 
ments made  under  the  direction  of  any  experiment  stations  attached  to  said 
colleges,  with  their  costs  and  results,  and  such  other  industrial  and  econom- 
ical statistics  as  may  be  regarded  as  useful,  one  copy  of  which  shall  be 
transmitted  by  mail  free  to  all  other  colleges  further  endowed  under  this  act. 

Sec.  4.  That  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  July  of  each  year,  after  the 
passage  of  this  act,  the  secretary  of  the  interior  shall  ascertain  and  certify 
to  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  as  to  each  state  and  territory,  whether  it  is 
entitled  to  receive  its  share  of  the  annual  appropriation  for  colleges,  or  of 
institutions  for  colored  students,  under  this  act,  and  the  amount  which  there- 
upon each  is  entitled,  respectively,  to  receive.  If  the  secretary  of  the  inte- 
rior shall  withhold  a  certificate  from  any  state  or  territory  of  its  appropria- 
tion, the  facts  and  reasons  therefor  shall  be  reported  to  the  president,  and 
the  amount  involved  shall  be  kept  separate  in  the  treasury  until  the  close  of 
the  next  Congress,  in  order  that  the  state  or  territory  may,  if  it  should  so 
desire,  appeal  to  Congress  from  the  determination  of  the  secretary  of  the  in- 
terior. If  the  next  Congress  shall  not  direct  such  sum  to  be  paid,  it  shall  be 
covered  into  the  treasury.  And  the  secretary  of  the  interior  is  hereby 
charged  with  the  proper  administration  of  this  law. 

Sec.  5.  That  the  secretary  of  the  interior  shall  annually  report  to  Con- 
gress the  disbursements  which  have  been  made  in  all  the  states  and  terri- 
tories, and  also  whether  the  appropriation  of  any  state  or  territory  has 
been  withheld,  and  if  so,  the  reasons  therefor. 

Sec.  6.  Congress  may  at  any  time  amend,  suspend  or  repeal  any  or  all  of 
the  provisions  of  this  act. 

The  passage  of  this  bill,  which  increased  the  revenue  of  the  Col- 
lege by  from  $15,000  to  $25,000  per  year,  came  just  in  time.  The 
rate  of  interest,  and  with  this  the  income  from  the  endowment 
fund,  had  been  shrinking  for  about  five  years,  while  the  expenses 
had  been  constantly  growing.  In  the  spring  of  1890  it  seemed  a 
question  of  only  a  short  time  when  the  institution  would  have  to 
do  one  or  the  other  of  three  disagreeable  things,  viz.:  Limit  its  use- 
fulness in  some  direction,  or  collect  a  tuition  fee  from  the  stu- 
dents, or  ask  the  State  legislature  for  an  annual  appropriation  to 
meet  a  part  of  the  current  expenses.  In  the  report  for  1889-'90, 
the  Board  of  Regents  had  said:  "By  strict  economy,  even  by  post- 
poning provisions  of  urgent  necessity,  the  expenses  of  the  past 
two  years  have  been  kept  within  the  limits  of  the  income. ' '  Yet, 
there  had  been  a  small  balance  against  the  College  for  several 
years,  partly  due  to  the  delinquency  of  some  of  the  interest-pay- 
ing parties,  but  partly  also  because  the  College  was  unable  to  keep 
a  sufficient  working  fund  on  hand  between  the  dates  that  are 
named  in  the  bonds  for  paying  the  semi-annual  interest.  In  1890, 
however,  the  College  received  $15,000  for  the  current  year,  and 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  98 

$16,000  for  the  year  LB91,  so  that  bhe  deficit  in  I  be  I  reasury  could 
be  covered,  the  most  necessary  equipments  could  be  procured, 
and  some  additional  beaching  force  could  be  engaged. 

NEW    EQUIPMENTS. 

Among  the  means  which  this  increase  of  the  revenues  of  bhe 
College  procured,  may  be  mentioned  the  equipment  of  the  new 
machine-shops  and  foundry,  and  the  renewing  of  the  hand  tools  of 
the  carpenter  shop. 

The  legislature  of  1887  had  added  wood-working  machinery  to 
the  amount  of  $1000  to  the  simple  hand  tools  that  had  been  bought 
from  time  to  time  since  the  reorganization  of  the  College  in  1874. 
This  appropriation  was  sufficient  to  procure,  in  addition  to  the  10- 
horse-power  engine  and  20-horse-power  boiler  already  in  the 
building,  a  fine  double-column  circular  saw,  a  24-inch  planer, 
a  single-spindle  friezer,  a  34-inch  band  saw,  four  lathes,  and 
numerous  attachments.  During  1890  the  hand  tools  were  in- 
creased to  220  complete  sets,  placed  in  separate  locked  drawers 
under  the  work  benches,  so  that  now  each  student  had  a 
good  kit  of  tools  entirely  in  his  charge.  The  equipment 
of  the  new  machine-shop  and  foundry  cost  about  $4000.  It  con- 
sisted of  sixteen  forges,  with  a  30-inch  exhaust  fan,  smoke  con- 
nections, anvils  and  hand  tools,  a  No.  0  Collian  cupola  and  blower, 
with  ladles,  hand  ladles,  core  oven,  flasks,  etc.,  for  an  iron  foun- 
dry, a  brass  furnace  and  twelve  moulding  benches,  with  flasks 
and  hand  tools  for  small  brass  work.  A  small  upright  engine  ran 
the  following  tools :  A  24"x24"x6'  planer,  four  14"x6'  engine  lathes, 
a  12"x5'  brass  lathe,  a  speed  lathe,  a  24"  drill  press,  a  sensitive 
drill  press,  a  pipe  cutter,  emery  wheels,  and  grindstone.  Fifteen 
vices  with  thirty  locked  drawers,  each  containing  a  complete  kit 
of  hand  tools,  were  provided  for  hand  work. 

Of  other  equipments  bought  from  this  source  may  be  named  a 
fine  collection  of  samples  of  minerals,  for  the  use  of  the  classes  in 
chemistry,  mineralogy,  and  geology,  a  set  of  adjustable  drawing 
tables  for  the  Industrial  Art  Department,  and  a  papier-mache 
horse  for  the  Department  of  Veterinary  Science.  The  mineralog- 
ical  collection  cost  about  $1100  and  was  one  of  the  most  complete 
in  the  country  until  1899,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  burning 
of  the  old  laboratory  building. 


94  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


XL 

PRESIDENT  FAIRCHILD  AND  HIS  COLLABORATORS -JOHN  A.  HESSIN  — PROF. 
C.  C.  GEORGESONT  —  PROF.  W.  A.  KELLERMAN  —  PROF.  D.  E.  LANTZ  —  MRS. 
NELLIE  S.  KEDZIE- JONES  — PROF.  O.  E.  OLIN  — PROF.  A.  S.  HITCHCOCK  — PROF. 
J.  T.  WILLARD. 

PRESIDENT  George  Thompson  Fairchild,  A.M.,  D.D.,  was 
born  in  Brownhelm,  Lorain  county,  Ohio,  October  6,  1838. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  and  teacher.  There  were  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  George  T.  was  the  youngest.  He  was 
educated  at  Oberlin  College,  graduated  in  the  classical  course  in 
1862,  and  in  the  department  of  theology  in  1865,  and,  though  never 
a  pastor,  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Congregational 
church.  In  the  same  year  he  was  elected  instructor  in  the  Mich- 
igan Agricultural  College,  and  the  next  year  was  made  professor 
of  English  literature,  which  chair  he  filled  until  his  call  to  the 
presidency  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  where  he 
entered  upon  his  work  December  1,  1879.  During  a  year's  ab- 
sence of  the  president  of  the  Michigan  college,  Professor  Pair- 
child  had  been  acting  president  by  choice  of  the  board  of  regents. 
President  Fairchild  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  National 
Educational  Association,  and  has  contributed  several  valuable 
papers  to  the  published  proceedings  of  that  body.  At  the  session 
at  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  in  1885,  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  National 
Council  of  Education  and  appointed  to  the  committee  of  techno- 
logical education.  At  the  meeting  in  Chicago,  in  1877,  he  was 
made  president  of  the  industrial  section,  and  in  the  following 
year,  at  San  Francisco,  he  was  reelected  to  the  same  position.  In 
1886  the  Faculty  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  in 
order  to  show  him  their  appreciation  of  his  work,  and  to  give  him 
a  fitting  token  of  their  esteem,  presented  him  with  a  life  director- 
ship in  the  National  Educational  Association.  In  the  American 
Association  of  Agricultural  Colleges  he  twice  held  the  office  of 
vice-president.  One  of  his  brothers,  James  H.  Fairchild,  was  for 
many  years  president  of  Oberlin  College,  and  another  brother,  E. 
H.  Fairchild,  president  of  Berea  College,  Kentucky. 

President  Fairchild 's  views  with  regard  to  the  "new  education" 
were  not  as  radical  as  those  of  Anderson  had  been.  With  Presi- 
dent Anderson,  the  Agricultural  College  had  been  largely  a  sta- 
tion for  pedagogical  experiments,  conducted  with  a  view  of  pro- 
ducing proofs  of  his  theories  on  the  value  of  manual  training. 
With  President  Fairchild,  the  College  became  a  model  school  for 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   UOLLMi 


95 


the  education  of  young  men  and  women  who  were  bo  go  back  i 
the  farm  or  workshop,  uol  only  to  perform  manual  labor,  bul   I 

live  compete  lives  and  to  develop  and   honor  their  Calling.      In  a 

article  on  "Our  Agricultural  Colleges,"  written  for  the  Chwag 
Farmers*   Revieto,  and   subsequently   published    by   the   Michiga 


State  Board  of  Agriculture  in  their  annual  report,  President  Pair- 
child,  then  professor  at  the  Michigan  State  Agricultural  College, 
presented  his  ideal  in  such  a  characteristic  manner  that  there 
could  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who  called  him  to  Kansas 
as  to  his  aims  and  methods. 

President  Pairchild  lost  his  position  in  the  political  melee  that 
followed  the  victory  of  the  Populist  party  in  1896.  Once  before, 
in  1893  and  1894,  the  Board  of  Regents  had  been  composed  of 


96  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Populists,  but  the  aged  educator,  by  his  dignified  demeanor  and 
through  the  efforts  of  his  personal  friends  (Regent  Ed.  Secrest 
and  others)  in  the  victorious  camp,  succeeded  in  maintaining  his 
moorings.  But  when  the  Populists  carried  the  State  a  second 
time  many  conditions  had  changed.  Fairchild  was  accused  of 
being  an  offensive  Republican  partisan  and  a  non-progressive  edu- 
cator. Articles  appeared  in  several  leading  papers  of  his  own 
party  criticising  his  management  of  the  College.  The  newly 
organized  Board  of  Regents  took  him  to  task  for  an  existing  deficit 
of  several  thousand  dollars,  and,  seeing  the  clouds  thicken  in  all 
directions,  Fairchild  resigned.     (See  Chapter  XII.) 

President  Fairchild  was  a  born  disciplinarian,  not  only  of  stu- 
dents, but  of  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  His  will  was  law 
to  his  collaborators,  though  he  ruled  with  easy  grace  and  per- 
fect dignity.  He  was  not  a  scientist  in  any  sense  of  the  term, 
but  his  studies  and  work  in  English  literature  had  given  him  the 
ability  of  polished  and  careful  expression,  and  this,  connected 
with  natural  ability,  a  graceful  stature,  a  bright  eye,  and  a  natural 
tact,  made  him  a  power.  He  was  a  good  logician  and  a  man  of 
constant  growth.  He  was  systematic — a  man  of  order  and  cor- 
rect habits — a  master  of  all  details  of  his  work. 

Educational  ideals  are  subject  to  the  general  laws  of  evolution. 
President  Fairchild  was  the  product  of  a  school  of  pedagogics  that 
passed  its  zenith  several  decades  ago.  He  was  a  strong  believer 
in  popular  education,  and  had  no  use  for  early  specializing,  substi- 
tute studies,  electives,  and  short  courses.  He  often  expressed 
himself  that  the  farmers'  institute  could  do  but  little  good  beyond 
the  inspiration  to  thinking  and  reasoning  which  it  evidently  pro- 
duced. He  believed  that  the  thoroughly  educated  man  or  woman 
could  easily  acquire  technical  knowledge  of  any  kind,  and  he 
strenuously  opposed  technical  training  as  a  substitute  for  general 
training.  The  question  of  dividing  the  course  of  study  into  spe- 
cial courses  or  schools — a  school  of  agriculture,  a  school  of  domes- 
tic science,  a  school  of  engineering,  etc. — was  often  discussed  by 
the  Faculty,  but  found  little  favor  with  him.  His  ideal  was  the 
harmoniously  developed  man  or  woman. 

The  incidents  connected  with  the  resignation  from  the  execu- 
tive chair  and  the  departure  from  Manhattan  are  told  in  another 
chapter  of  this  volume.  Among  the  friends  and  patrons  of 
the  College  there  were  many  who  did  not  coincide  with  him  in 
some  of  his  educational  maxims.  When  in  the  spring  of  1897  the 
fusion  party  came  into  power,  the  newly  appointed  Board  of 
Regents  disagreed  with  him,  formulated  a  code  of  "fundamental 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


principles"  to  which  he  would  noli  subscribe,  and  forced  his 
resignation.  Ho  departed  fro m  the  College  where  he  had  worked 
and  taught  feeling  to  his  end  thai  he  had  been  misunderstood  and 
wronged. 

Tho  last,  four  years  of  his  Life  were  comparatively  uneventful. 
After  a  long-needed  rest  with  friends  and  relatives  in  the  eastern 

states,  during  which  he  wrote  a  book  on  "Rural  Wealth  and 
Welfare"and  a  pamphlet  on  "Populism  in  a  State  Educational  Insti- 
tution," he  accepted  a  call  to  the  chair  of  English  literature  at 
Berea  College,  Kentucky.  His  children,  of  whom  he  had  five  — 
two  daughters  and  three  sons — were  a  constant  source  of  hap- 
piness to  him.  The  oldest  of  the  sons  became  a  Unitarian  minister, 
the  second  a  medical  specialist,  and  the  third  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  experts  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 
Doctor  Fairchild  died  after  a  lingering  illness,  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
on  Friday,  March  15,  1901,  and  was  buried  in  Berea,  near  the 
resting  place  of  his  brother,  E.  H.  Fairchild. 

JOHN  A.  HESSIN. 

Hon.  John  A.  Hessin,  Regent  of  the  Agricultural  College  from 
1886  to  1892,  was  born  at  Lisbon,  Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  sixty- 
three  years  ago.  In  1869  he  completed  the  classical  course  of 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College  at  Washington,  Penn.  He 
served  during  the  Civil  War  two  years  in  Co.  B,  51st  Ohio,  under 
"Pap"  Thomas,  and  took  part  in  many  severe  engagements.  In 
1870  he  came  to  Manhattan  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with  the 
late  Judge  Geo.  S.  Green,  which  continued  twenty  years.  While  Mr. 
Hessin  has  never  been  a  politician,  he  has  been  called  upon  to  fill 
various  offices.  He  served  two  terms  as  city  attorney  and  two 
terms  as  county  attorney.  During  six  years  as  Regent  of  the 
K.  S.  A.  C.  he  had  much  to  do  with  shaping  its  policies.  He  served 
as  State  senator  from  1896  to  1900.  It  was  here  that  his  fluent 
speech,  disciplined  intellect,  aggressive  spirit,  unswerving  integ- 
rity and  independence  of  thought  and  action  won  him  not  only  the 
leadership  of  his  Republican  colleagues,  but  the  admiration  of  the 
Populists,  who  were  largely  in  the  majority.  He  was  always 
armed  for  contest,  and  his  honesty  and  ability  were  soon  recog- 
nized. He  is  a  leader  among  men  because  he  is  full  of  resource, 
convincing  in  argument,  a  man  of  convictions  and  beyond  sus- 
picion of  graft.  He  despises  shams,  and  is  thoroughly  in  sym- 
pathy with  sound  progress.  As  an  attorney-at-law,  Mr.  Hessin 
has  an  excellent  reputation  in  every  part  of  the  State. 


98  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

PROF.  C.  C.  GEORGESON. 

Prof.  Chas.  C.  Georgeson,  M.  Sc,  of  the  chair  of  agriculture, 
came  to  this  country  from  Denmark  when  a  youth.  He  began  his 
work  as  a  gardener  and  general  horticulturist,  passing  his 
apprenticeship  in  this  line  in  his  native  land.  A  year  after  he 
landed  he  entered  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1878.  He  was  at  once  offered  the  position  as 
assistant  editor  of  the  Rural  Neiv  Yorker,  published  in  New  York 
city.  That  position  he  held  for  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1880  he 
was  chosen  professor  of  agriculture  and  horticulture  in  the  Texas 
Agricultural  College.  This  was  followed  in  1885  by  an  offer  from 
the  Japanese  government  to  fill  a  similar  chair  in  the  Imperial  col- 
lege of  agriculture  in  Tokio,  which  he  accepted.  He  remained  in 
Japan  nearly  four  years  and  returned  to  the  United  States  in  the 
fall  of  1889.  Shortly  after  his  return  he  was  invited  to  take  the 
position  of  professor  of  agriculture  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College.  He  accepted  the  offer  in  January,  1890,  and 
remained  here  nearly  eight  years,  till  September,  1897. 

Professor  Georgeson's  work  in  Kansas  is  well  known  to  the 
farmers  of  the  State.  The  experiment  stations  maintained  by  the 
national  government  had  just  been  fairly  started  when  he  came  to 
Kansas,  and  his  work  in  that  line  at  Manhattan  may  be  traced 
through  the  thirty  bulletins  which  he  wrote  while  here.  Experi- 
ments in  cropping,  especially  methods  of  culture  best  adapted  to 
Kansas  conditions,  and  experiments  in  steer  feeding,  were  the 
main  features  of  his  work.  The  soy-bean  was  introduced  into 
this  country  for  the  first  time  by  Mr.  Georgeson  at  the  Kansas 
station  in  1890.  He  sent  to  Japan  for  the  seeds  and  grew  them 
that  year  at  the  College.  The  scientist  found  it  to  be  a  valuable 
drouth-resisting  plant  and  grew  it  extensively  and  distributed  the 
seed  widely  gratis  to  the  farmers  of  Kansas.  He  also  introduced 
the  growing  of  this  bean  as  a  second  crop  after  wheat,  and  plowed 
it  under  for  green  manure  if  it  failed  to  ripen.  Professor  George- 
son proved  by  his  feeding  experiments  that  the  meal  of  the  soy- 
bean was  more  valuable  than  linseed  oil-meal  for  both  steers  and 
hogs,  and  that  the  farmers  could  raise  them  at  a  fraction  of  the 
price  per  ton  that  the  oil-meal  costs. 

In  January,  1893,  Secretary  of  Agriculture  Rusk  sent  Profes- 
sor Georgeson  to  Europe  to  investigate  the  dairy  industry  in  Den- 
mark. There  was  at  that  time  a  great  revival  in  the  dairy  in- 
dustry in  the  United  States,  and  Denmark  stood  at  the  bead  of  the 
list  of  dairy  countries.  He  considered  it  important  to  obtain 
authentic  detailed  data  in  regard  to  the  methods  practiced  by  the 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  99 

Danes,  and  especially  the  reasons  for  the  superiority  oi  their 
butter,  which  always  sold  severa]  points  higher  in  the  English 
markets  than  butter  from  other  countries.  The  results  of  the 
professor's  investigations  were  published  by  Secretary  Morion  in 
a  report  entitled  "The  Dairy  Industry  of  Denmark." 

When  the  Populists  assumed  control  of  the  College  in  L897  Pro 
fessor  Georgeson  resigned  and  took  the  civil  service  examination 
for  an  assistantship  in  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul 
ture.  He  was  first  appointed  assistant  in  the  division  of  agros- 
tology and  was  sent  by  the  department  to  the  Panhandle  of  Texas 
to  investigate  the  pasture  conditions  in  that  locality.  In  March, 
1898,  Mr.  Georgeson  was  appointed  special  agent  in  charge  of  the 
Alaska  agricultural  investigations,  and  started  for  the  North, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  During  a  whole  decade  he  has 
worked  in  that  semi-arctic  region,  testing  its  possibilities  for 
raising  grasses,  vegetables,  and  grains.  He  has  also  made  ex- 
tensive experiments  with  the  islandic  reindeer,  the  northern 
sheep,  and  milch  cows.  His  reports  form  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting parts  of  the  annual  literature  of  the  U.  S.  Agricultural 
Department. 

PROF.    W.   A.   KELLERMAN. 

Prof.  William  Ashford  Kellerman,  Ph.D.,  was  born  May  1,  1850, 
in  Central,  Ohio,  his  early  life  being  spent  upon  his  father's  farm. 
He  prepared  for  college  in  Fairfield  Academy.  In  1871  he  entered 
Cornell  University,  and  after  four  years  graduated  with  the  de- 
gree of  B.  Sc.  He  then  became  professor  of  natural  science  in  the 
Wisconsin  State  Normal  School.  After  five  years  continuous  ser- 
vice in  that  position  he,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  who  was  also  a 
student  of  botany,  went  to  Europe  and  studied  biology  for  two 
years  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  and  received  the  degree  of 
Ph.  D.  from  the  university  of  Zurich.  In  1881  he  returned  to  this 
country  and  was  called  to  the  Kentucky  State  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College,  where  he  remained  two  years.  From  here  he 
came  to  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  as  professor  of 
botany,  remaining  till  1893,  when  he  accepted  a  call  by  the  State 
University  of  Ohio. 

In  1885  Doctor  Kellerman  was  made  botanist  of  the  Kansas 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  and  in  1888  of  the  Kansas  Experiment 
Station.  In  connection  with  his  work  here  he  published  several 
text-books  as,  "Elements  of  Botany,"  "Plant  Analysis,"  "Analyt- 
ical Flora  of  Kansas,"  and  a  large  number  of  pamphlets  and 
scientific  contributions.     In   1885  he  established  the  Journal  of 


100  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

Mycology,  which  he  edited  till  1889,  when  it  became  a  government 
publication. 

The  doctor  was  a  prolific  writer  and  an  untiring  investigator. 
He  lost  his  life  in  the  spring  of  1908  in  Venezuela,  Central 
America,  where  he  had  gone  from  Ohio  for  several  successive 
winters  as  director  of  botanical  excursions.  He  contracted  a 
malerial  fever  and  died  in  the  depths  of  the  tropical  forest,  a 
martyr  in  the  cause  of  his  beloved  science. 

PROP.  D.  E.  LANTZ. 

Prof.  David  Ernest  Lantz,  M.  Sc,  was  born  in  Juniata  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1850.  He  was  educated  in  the  Juniata  county 
Normal  School,  and  in  the  State  Normal  School  at  Bloomsburg, 
Penn.,  graduating  in  1875,  and  received  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Science,  after  examination,  in  June,  1885.  From  1870  to  1883  he 
was  a  teacher  in  public  schools.  He  holds  life  diplomas  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  Kansas ;  in  fact,  he  was  the  first  man  in  Kansas  who 
obtained  a  life  diploma.  For  two  years  he  was  principal  of  public 
schools  at  Mifflintown,  Penn.,  and  of  the  Juniata  county  Normal 
School,  and  for  five  years  he  was  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Manhattan,  Kan. 

He  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  at  the  Kansas  State 
Agricultural  College  in  1881,  at  the  time  of  the  resignation  of  Prof. 
L.  M.  Ward,  and  held  this  position  for  sixteen  years,  till  1897, 
when  he  lost  it  in  the  Populist  reorganization.  During  a  good  part 
of  this  time  he  was  also  librarian  of  the  College.  In  1882  he  was 
nominated  by  acclamation  in  the  Democratic  convention  for  the 
office  of  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and  ran  con- 
siderably ahead  of  his  ticket. 

After  his  resignation  in  1897  he  took  up  work  for  the  Agricul- 
tural Department  of  the  government.  In  1899  he  returned  to  the 
College,  having  been  elected  by  the  Board  of  Regents  expert  of  the 
State  poison  laboratory  for  the  extermination  of  the  prairie-dog 
and  the  pocket-gopher,  and  remained  in  this  position  for  about  four 
years.  His  poison  mixture  was  highly  effective  in  eradicating  the 
pests  and  was  prepared  and  sold  to  the  farmers  of  the  State  by 
thousands  of  quarts.  He  then  accepted  the  position  of  expert  on 
mammals  in  the  Agricultural  Department  at  Washington,  D.  C,  a 
position  which  he  still  holds.  While  at  Washington  the  professor 
has  published  several  valuable  pamphlets  on  obnoxious  mammals, 
among  which  may  be  named  a  very  complete  life  history  of  "Field. 
Rodents"  and  a  similar  treatise  on  the  "Coyote."  Professor  Lantz 
is  an  honorary  life  member  of  the  Kansas   State  Horticultural 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


inl 


Society,  a  member  of  the  Kansas  Academy  of  Science,  an  associ 
ate  member  of  the  American  Ornithologists  Union,  and  of  several 
other  societies  devoted  to  the  investigation  of  biological  subjects. 

MRS.    NELLIE   S.    KEDZIE-JONES. 

Prof.  Nellie  (Sawyer)  Kedzie- Jones,  M.Sc,  was  born  in  Madi- 
son, Me.,  August  2,  1858.  Her  education  was  begun  in  the  village 
schools  of  her  native  state.     In  1870  the  Sawyer  family  moved  to 


Mrs.  Nellie  S.  Kedzie-Jones. 


Ottawa,  Kan.,  where  she  attended  a  private  school  taught  by  Prof, 
and  Mrs.  M.  L.  Ward  (See  his  biography  in  chapter  VII).  She 
then  spent  two  years  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College, 
graduating  with  the  class  of  1876.  After  teaching  a  year  at  Mil- 
ford,  Geary  county,  Kansas,  she  was  employed  four  years  as  one 
of  the  teachers  in  the  graded  schools  of  Ottawa. 

In  1881  she  married  Robert  F.  Kedzie,  professor  of  chemistry 
in  the  Mississippi  Agricultural  College,  who,  for  a  term  or  two 
while  his  brother,  Wm.  K.  Kedzie,  was  on  a  leave  of  absence  in 
Europe,  had  taught  classes  in  Manhattan.  The  professor  died  at 
Starkville,  Miss.,  after  a  brief  illness,  and  Mrs.  Kedzie,  in  1882, 
accepted  a  call  by  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  to  teach 
household  economy.     The  next  year  the  College  gave  her  the  de- 


102  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

gree  of  M.Sc,  and  in  1887  made  her  professor  of  household 
economy  and  hygiene,  which  position  she  held  till  1897,  when  she 
resigned  because  of  the  resignation  of  her  friend  and  protector, 
Pres.  Geo.  T.  Fairchild.  From  Manhattan  she  went  to  Peoria, 
111.,  where  she  accepted  a  similar  position  in  the  Bradley  Poly- 
technic Institute,  a  filial  of  Chicago  University,  and  taught  there 
for  about  five  years.  In  1901  she  was  married  to  Prof.  Howard  M. 
Jones,  of  Berea  College,  Ky.  They  remained  there  till  1903,  when 
he  exchanged  the  professor's  chair  for  the  pulpit  and  accepted  a 
call  by  the  Congregational  church  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  where 
they  still  reside. 

Mrs.  Kedzie-Jones  was  an  energetic  instructor,  a  natural  dis- 
ciplinarian, and  a  warm-hearted  advisor.  The  young  women  of 
the  College  called  her  their  College  mother.  She  took  hold  of  the 
Domestic  Science  Department  when  the  institution  possessed  but 
few  means,  and  she  produced  wonderful  results  in  spite  of  the 
lamentable  lack  of  suitable  quarters  and  apparatus.  Hundreds  of 
young  housekeepers  and  scores  of  manual  training  teachers  are 
indebted  to  her  for  their  training  in  the  work  and  graces  of  true 
womanhood. 

PROF.  O.   E.  OLIN. 

Prof.  Oscar  E.  Olin,  M.  A. ,  was  born  at  Earlville,  Ohio,  on  the  third 
of  December,  1851.  His  father  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of  the 
western  reserve.  The  family,  leaving  the  ancestral  home,  went 
west  in  1852.  The  professor  began  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Iowa  and  California,  and,  returning,  completed  his  school  days  in 
the  public  school  of  his  birthplace.  He  began  teaching  in  Michi- 
gan in  1870.  In  1871  he  came  to  Kansas.  He  first  taught  a  coun- 
try school  in  Osage  county,  was  then  principal  of  the  Baldwin  city 
schools,  afterwards  principal  of  the  Augusta  school  in  Butler 
county,  and  superintendent  of  schools  in  El  Dorado.  Prom  the 
last  position  he  was,  in  1885,  elected  to  the  professorship  of  his- 
tory and  English  in  the  State  Agricultural  College,  where  he 
remained  till  1898.  He  resigned  to  accept  a  call  from  Buchtel  Col- 
lege, Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  became  professor  of  economics  and 
history — a  position  which  he  still  holds. 

Professor  Olin  left  the  Agricultural  College  with  an  enviable 
record  as  a  successful  teacher.  He  was  a  hard  worker  in  the 
class  room  and  a  warm  friend  and  counselor  of  his  pupils.  He  had 
but  few  educational  advantages  when  he  was  young,  but  he  was  a 
pusher — a  man  who  knew  how  to  "dig  and  grow."  In  recognition 
of  his  success  as  the  head  of  the  Department  of  English,  the  Kan- 
sas State  Agricultural  College  in  1897  bestowed   upon  him  the 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  I  <  18 

degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  His  older  brother  lias  been  the  bead 
of  the  didactics  department  of  the  Kansas  Stale  University  ever 
since  this  course  was  organized  at  Lawrence,  and  another  brother 
is  a  graduate  of  this  College  and  a  professor  in  the  Colorado  State 
Agricultural  College. 

PROF.    A.    S.    HITCHCOCK. 

Prof.  Albert  S.  Hitchcock,  M.Sc,  was  born  at  Owosso,  Mich., 
September  4,  1865.  His  father,  whose  name  was  Peter  Hughes, 
died  when  Albert  was  less  than  two  years  old,  and  he  was  adopted 
by  his  stepfather  by  name  of  J.  S.  Hitchcock.  When  the  boy  was 
about  five  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Kansas,  living  for  awhile 
in  Ottawa  and  Atchison.  Later  they  moved  to  Lincoln,  Nebr.  At 
Atchison  he  entered  the  high  school,  but  he  was  a  frail  child  and 
it  was  decided  that  he  stay  out  of  school  a  while.  He  spent  a  year 
on  a  farm  near  Lincoln  where,  as  he  often  said,  he  got  his  first 
lessons  in  agriculture.  Another  year  was  spent  in  Netawaka, 
Jackson  county,  where  he  went  to  school  in  winter.  For  years  he 
had  planned  to  go  to  an  agricultural  college  and  to  become  a 
farmer.  With  this  in  view  he  finally  entered  the  Iowa  State  Agri- 
cultural College,  at  Ames,  la.,  and  graduated  from  the  agricul- 
tural course  in  1884,  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  A.  In  addition  to 
the  regular  course,  he  took  several  extra  studies — one  year  of 
botany,  one  term  of  commercial  law,  and  two  years  of  special 
chemistry.  He  was  much  interested  in  chemistry,  and  during 
his  senior  year  he  became  laboratory  assistant.  In  1885  he  took  a 
postgraduate  course  in  chemistry  and  some  work  in  advanced 
physics.  He  was  also  assistant  in  chemistry,  but  during  all  his 
course  he  had  been  very  fond  of  botany,  and  so  he  took  a  second 
year  of  postgraduate  work — chiefly  in  botany,  getting  the  degree 
of  M.  Sc.  in  1886. 

In  that  year  he  was  appointed  instructor  in  chemistry  in  the 
Iowa  State  University,  at  Iowa  City,  where  he  taught  for  three 
years.  In  September,  1889,  he  became  first  assistant  at  the  Uni- 
versity Botanical  Garden,  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  remained  till  his 
call  to  Manhattan,  in  1892.  In  the  winter  of  1890- '91  the  regents 
of  the  university  sent  him  on  a  trip  to  the  Bahamas  and  Jamaica 
to  study  the  flora  of  those  southern  islands. 

Professor  Hitchcock  remained  in  Manhattan,  as  the  head  of  the 
Department  of  Botany,  for  nine  years,  and  is  remembered  by  his 
colleagues  as  an  enthusiastic  and  untiring  student  of  plant  life 
and  a  very  effective  teacher  in  the  class  room  and  the  laboratory. 
While  here  he  was  botanist  to  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  the 


104  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

State  Horticultural  Society,  and  the  State  Experiment  Station 
His  departure  for  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  entered  the  Bureau 
of  Plant  Industry  of  the  Agricultural  Department  as  expert  in 
taxonomic  work,  was  a  great  loss  to  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College. 

PROF.  J.  T.  WILLARD. 

Prof.  Julius  T.  Willard,  M.  Sc,  D.  Sc,  was  born  April  9,  1862, 

near  Wabaunsee,  Kan.     His  mother,  born  in  Ohio,  was  a  daughter 

of  emigrants  from  Germany,  who  finally  located  near  Alma,  Kan., 

in  1855.     His  father  was*  of  some  of  the  oldest  of  New  England 

stock,  coming  to  Kansas  in  1856  with  the  colony  led  by  C.  B.  Lines, 

widely  known  at  that  time  as  Beecher's  Rifle  Company,  of  whom 

Whittier  wrote  the  well-known  poem  beginning : 

We  cross  the  prairies,  as  of  old  our  fathers  crossed  the  sea, 
To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East,  the  homestead  of  the  free. 

The  boy  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  but  had  the  advantage  of 
attending  the  best  school  in  the  county  at  that  time.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1879,  he  entered  the  State  Agricultural  College,  and  was 
graduated  in  1883.  He  extended  his  course  one  year  in  order  to 
take  special  work  in  chemistry.  During  this  time  he  was  a  stu- 
dent assistant  in  the  Chemical  Department  and  became  familiar 
with  its  every  detail. 

Upon  graduation  he  was  made  assistant  in  chemistry.  Exam- 
ination of  the  College  catalogues  shows  that  he  was  the  first  to  be 
there  recorded  as  student  assistant,  assistant,  assistant  professor, 
or  associate  professor.  In  1887- '88  he  studied  chemistry  at  Johns 
Hopkins  University.  While  there  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of 
assistant  chemist  of  the  newly  organized  Experiment  Station  here. 
In  1897  he  was  made  professor  of  applied  chemistry  and  chemist 
of  the  Experiment  Station;  in  1900,  director  of  the  Experiment 
Station,  and  in  1901,  professor  of  chemistry.  In  1886,  in  connec- 
tion with  Prof.  Geo.  H.  Failyer>  he  compiled  a  laboratory  manual 
for  the  use  of  the  classes  in  analytical  chemistry,  and  in  1894  he 
published  "The  Organic  Compounds  of  Everyday  Life,*'  as  a  text- 
book for  his  classes  in  organic  chemistry. 

In  1887  he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science  from  this 
College  and  in  1908  he  was  given  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science. 
In  1906  he  was  relieved  of  the  directorship  of  the  Experiment  Sta- 
tion in  order  that  it  might  have  added  responsibilities  attached  to 
it  which  would  require  the  entire  time  of  the  director,  but  in  1908, 
being  vice-director,  he  was  again  drafted  to  take  charge  of  this 
work  for  half  a  year  till  another  party  could  be  found  to  relieve 
him. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


LOS 


Some  of  the  earliest  Experimenl  Station  work-  with  which  Pro 
fessor  Willanl  was  connected  was  upon  sorghum,  Cor  which  at 
that  time  great  hopes  were  entertained  as  a  sugar  producing 
plant.  Before  the  establishment  of  the  Experiment  Station  LI  bad 
occurred  to  him  that  it  might  be  possible  to  improve  the  sorghum 


Prof.  J.  T.  Willard. 


plant  in  respect  to  its  sugar-content  by  planting  the  seeds  from 
stalks  which  by  separate  analysis  were  found  to  be  richer  in 
sugar  than  their  fellows.  He  conducted  a  little  investigation  of 
his  own  for  two  years  before  he  left  for  study  at  the  Johns  Hop- 
kins University.  In  this  he  showed  that  there  were  material  dif- 
ferences among  individual  stalks  in  respect  to  sugar-content  and 
had  some  indication  that  improvement  was  possible  by  seed  selec- 
tion based  on  analytical  results.  These  observations  came  to  the 
notice  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  and  the  idea  was  taken 
up  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  and  exploited  in  Kansas  by  it  for 


106  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

a  number  of  years.  In  the  meantime  the  Experiment  Station  had 
been  established  here,  and  it  conducted  similar  experiments. 
These  experiments  were  continued  six  or  eight  years,  and  amply 
demonstrated  the  possibility  of  improving  this  plant  by  the  means 
indicated.  It  was  not,  however,  found  commercially  practicable 
to  manufacture  sugar  from  sorghum,  and  hence  thus  far  tech- 
nology has  not  profited  much  by  the  experiment.  This  work  is 
described  in  bulletins  Nos.  5,  16,  25,  36,  and  43.  The  account  of 
his  first  experiments  was  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
Kansas  Academy  of  Science  for  1886.  He  was  also  interested  in 
work  upon  sugar  beets,  extending  over  several  years.  This  is  re- 
corded in  some  of  the  bulletins  named  above  and  also  in  bulletins 
Nos.  78,  83,  94,  and  103.  Together  with  other  members  of  the 
staff,  he  conducted  experiments  in  soil  moisture,  in  the  planning 
and  execution  of  which  he  had  an  important  part,  the  later  ones 
being  altogether  in  his  charge.  These  experiments  investigate 
the  effects  of  different  kinds  of  tillage  upon  the  conservation  of 
soil  moisture.  Exact  trials  were  made  touching  the  influence  of 
chemical  fertilizers  upon  the  loss  of  soil  moisture  both  in  pots  and 
in  carefully  prepared  outdoor  plots. 

In  connection  with  others,  but  chiefly  at  his  suggestion  and 
through  his  persistency,  experiments  were  begun  and  continued 
for  a  series  of  years  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  the  pro- 
tein-content of  Indian  corn  by  seed  selection  based  on  analysis  of 
individual  ears.  The  results  demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  this, 
and  some  specimens  of  corn  of  extraordinarily  high  protein-con- 
tent were  produced.  These  experiments  are  described  in  bulle- 
tin No.  107.  Bulletin  No.  103  gives  an  account  of  a  number  of 
digestion  experiments  with  Kansas  feeds.  These  were  conducted 
under  his  direction  and  were  in  part  upon  feeds  which  had  not 
been  subjected  to  such  experiments  previously. 

The  bulletin  in  which  Doctor  Willard  takes  the  most  pride  is 
No.  115,  in  which  he  describes  a  method  which  he  discovered  for 
exactly  calculating  a  ration  of  certain  specified  characteristics. 
Up  to  that  time  it  had  been  necessary  to  make  a  guess  at  the  pro- 
portions in  which  the  several  constituents  should  be  taken,  make 
calculations  based  on  that  guess,  and  then  make  additional  guesses 
and  calculations  for  nearer  approximations  to  the  desired  condi- 
tions. This  bulletin,  now  practically  out  of  print,  has  been  in 
constant  demand  by  students  of  various  agricultural  colleges 
since  it  was  issued.  Previous  to  its  appearance  several  writers 
had  declared  that  such  a  calculation  was  a  mathematical  impossi- 
bility. 


KANSAS  STATE   A.GRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L07 

Other  bulletins  by  the  doctor  have  treated  of  fertilizers  and 

feeding-stuffs.  He  has  now  in  hand  a  largo  amount  of  unpublished 
matter  on  experiments  that  have  been  under  way  for  several 
years,  on  milling  tests  of  wheat,  baking  tests  of  Hour,  and  addi- 
tional experiments  in  respect  to  the  digestibility  and  nutritive 
value  of  prairie  hay  and  alfalfa. 

Doctor  Willard  is  a  life  member  of  the  Kansas  Academy  of 
Science,  a  fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advance- 
ment of  Science,  and  a  member  of  the  American  Chemical  Society 
and  of  several  other  scientific  societies.  He  is  ex-officio  chemist 
of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture  and  the  State  Board  of  Health, 
and  has  done  a  large  amount  of  highly  responsible  chemical  work 
in  both  capacities.  In  the  summer  of  1906  Doctor  Willard  visited 
central  Europe  in  behalf  of  the  Experiment  Station  to  study  the 
methods  of  those  countries  with  regard  to  laboratory  and  field 
experiments. 

The  professor  is  an  untiring  worker  in  the  laboratory,  a  stern 

disciplinarian  in  the  class  room,  and  a  valuable  counselor  in  the 

business  meetings  of  the  Faculty.     No  one  of  the  teachers  of  the 

College  has  contributed  more  toward  a  logical  development  of  its 

courses  of  study  and  no  one  has  done  more  valuable  experimental 

work  for  the  agricultural   interests  of   the  State   than    Doctor 

Willard. 

FACULTY  ROSTER  IN  1897. 

At  the  time  of  Doctor  Pairchild's  resignation  in  the  spring  of 
1897  the  board  of  instruction  of  the  College  was  composed  of 
nineteen  professors,  six  instructors,  eleven  assistants  and  fore- 
men, and  five  assistants  in  the  Experiment  Station.  Their  names 
and  titles  were  as  follows  : 

George  T.  Fairchild,  LL.D.,  President.  .Professor  of  Logic  and  Philosophy 

George  H.  Failyer,  M.S.... Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Mineralogy 

Edwin  A.  Popenoe,  A.  M Professor  of  Entomology  and  Zoology 

David  E.  Lantz,  M.  S Professor  of  Mathematics 

John  D.  Walters,  M.  S Professor  of  Industrial  Art  and  Designing 

Ira  D.  Graham,  A.  M.,  Secretary Instructor  in  Bookkeeping- 
Oscar  E.  Olin Professor  of  English  Language  and  Literature 

Mrs.  Nellie  S.  Kedzie,  M.  S. .  .Professor  of  Household  Economy  and  Hygiene 

Mrs.  Elida  E.  Winchip Superintendent  of  Sewing 

Ozni  P.  Hood,  M.  S 

Professor  of  Mechanics  and  Engineering',  Superintendent  of  Workshops 

Alexander  B.  Brown,  A.  M Professor  of  Music 

John  S.  C.  Thompson Superintendent  of  Printing 

Francis  H.  White,  A.  M Professor  of  History  and  Political  Science 

Charles  C.  Georgeson,  M.  S , 

Professor  of  Agriculture,  Superintendent  of  Farm 

Ernest  R.  Nichols,  A.  M Professor  of  Physics 


108 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


Nelson  S.  Mayo,  D.V.S.,  M.  S 

Professor  of  Physiology  and  Veterinary  Science 

Julius  T.  Willard,  M.  S Associate  Professor  of  Chemistry 

Albert  S.  Hitchcock,  M.  S Professor  of  Botany 

Silas  C.  Mason,  M.  S 

.  .  .  .Professor  of  Horticulture,  Superintendent  of  Orchards  and  Gardens 

Miss  Josephine  C.  Harper Instructor  in  Mathematics 

Miss  Alice  Rupp Instructor  in  English 

Harry  G.  Cavenaugh 

Captain  13th  U.  S.  Infantry,  Professor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics 

Thomas  E.  Will,  A.  M : Professor  of  Political  Economy 

Miss  Julia  R.  Pearce,  B.  S Librarian 

C.  M.  Breese,  M.  S Assistant  in  Chemistry 

Grace  M.  Clark,  B.  S Stenographer  in  Executive  Office 

Lorena  E.  demons,  B.  S Clerk  in  Secretary's  Office 

Bertha  Winchip,  B.  S Assistant  in  Sewing 

Wm.  Baxter Foreman  of  Greenhouses 

W.  L.  House Foreman  of  Carpenter  Shop 

Enos  Harrold Foreman  of  Iron  Shops 

Geo,  Sexton Foreman  of  Farm 

C.  A.  Gundaker Engineer 

E.  Emrick .Janitor 

Jacob  Lund,  M.  S Fireman  and  Steam-fitter 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  assistants  in  the  Experiment 
Station : 

F.  A.  Marlatt,  B.  S Entomology 

F.  C.  Burtis,  M.  S Agriculture 

D.  H.  Otis,  B.  S Agriculture 

Geo.  L.  Clothier,  B.  S Botany 

I.  Jones,  B.  S Horticulture 


Fairchild  Hall. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGK  LOfl 


XII. 

A   NEW  POLITICAL  PARTY      PRESIDENT  FAIRGHILD  ON  POPULISM     THE  LEGIS 
LATURE  OF   1897— THE  ELECTION   OF   PRES.   rr.  E.  WILL     THE   NEW    BOARD 
THE   NEW    FACULTY   AND   ITS   WORK      GROWTH    AND  rMPRO VEMENTS  —  THE 
SILLY  BEQUEST     THE  COLLEGE   IN  THE  SPANISH   WAR      SPECIAL  SESSION 

OF  THE  LKAilSLATURK— A   REPUBLICAN  HOARD. 

IN  ORDER  to  understand  the  stirring  events  of  the  Populist  pe- 
riod at  the  College  it  is  necessary  to  study  the  conditions  that 
produced  the  Populist  rising  in  Kansas  and  in  the  West.  The 
movement  started  in  the  eighties  and  reached  the  high  water 
mark  in  1896.  The  necessity  of  borrowing  capital  at  ruinous 
rates  of  interest,  the  extortive  tariff  on  lumber,  the  high  trans- 
portation rates  and  the  gradual  lowering  of  prices  of  farm  prod- 
ucts had  produced  a  feeling  among  the  farmers  and  their  friends 
that  the  government  was  favoring  eastern  interests  and  that  its 
policy  was  dictated  by  the  trusts.  They  began  to  discuss  these 
things  and  asked  for  relief,  and  when  relief  did  not  come  they 
started  a  new  party.  It  was  to  some  extent  a  rebellion  of  the  ag- 
ricultural West  against  the  domineering  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing East.  Kansas  in  the  early  nineties  was  a  purely  agri- 
cultural state,  and  the  tidal  wave  of  protest  reached  a  greater 
height  on  its  prairies  than  anywhere  else.  The  movement  was 
accelerated  by  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  a  secret  organization 
founded  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  social  and  financial  con- 
ditions and  compacting  the  various  elements  into  a  solid  phalanx. 
When  the  Alliance  became  formidable  it  was  joined  by  the  ever 
present  office  seeker  and  the  press.  The  demonetizing  of  silver 
added  thousands  of  city  voters  to  the  new  party,  and  for  a  while  it 
looked  as  if  it  might  capture  the  whole  government. 

The  old  parties  resisted  stubbornly.  The  railroads,  telegraph 
companies,  express  companies,  banks,  manufacturers  and  mer- 
chants beheld  the  movement  with  apprehension  and  opposed  it 
with  all  the  means  known  to  the  American  politician.  The  farmer, 
on  the  other  hand,  felt  that  he  was  perfectly  honest  in  his  en- 
deavors. He  felt  that  he  was  right  and  it  hurt  him  to  see  the 
horny-handed  son  of  toil  carricatured  as  an  ignorant  plug — sock- 
less  and  bewhiskered.  The  financial  problems  seemed  simple  to 
him  and  he  was  ready  to  solve  them  in  a  straightforward  way  by 
increasing  the  quantity  of  money.  The  majority  did  not  want 
fiat  paper,  as  was  often  charged — they  were  too  honest  for  that — 
but  planned  to  get  the  increase  by  retaining  bimetalism,  founding 


110  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

postal  savings  banks,  guaranteeing  bank  deposits,  and  issuing 
interest-bearing  treasury  notes.  The  farmer  wanted  the  water 
squeezed  out  of  the  great  railroad  corporations;  he  wanted  the 
tariff  on  lumber  taken  off;  he  wanted  freight  rates  reduced  and 
free  passes  abolished;  he  wanted  the  parcels  post  and  the  rural 
mail  delivery;  he  wanted  things  and  changes  too  numerous  to 
mention.  Many  of  his  schemes  have  since  that  time  become  laws 
or  were  adopted  in  the  platforms  of  other  parties,  but  the  Populist 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago  would  not  wait.  He  was  sure  that 
he  had  a  grievance.  He  was  abused,  he  believed,  and  when  he 
met  resistance  he  was  prepared  to  fight  with  all  the  means  at  his 
command.  He  was  tired  and  sick,  and  ready  to  try  all  the  stim- 
ulants known  to  political  materia  medica. 

PRESIDENT  PAIRCHILD  ON  POPULISM. 

Men  of  foresight  who  were  in  sympathy  with  the  agitated 
masses  warned  them  of  the  danger  of  forming  a  new  party  with- 
out a  clean-cut  political  program,  and  advised  them  to  insist  on 
reforms  within  the  old  party  organizations,  but  the  leaders  would 
not  listen.  President  Fairchild  himself,  though  he  was  no  politi- 
cian, frequently  pointed  out  the  Scilla  and  Charibtis  of  such  a 
course.  In  a  widely  quoted  article  in  the  Industrialist,  published 
in  1890,  he  characterized  the  growing  Populist  movement  in  the 
following  interesting  manner : 

"We  laugh  at  a  sick  man  who  follows  everybody's  prescription 
for  rheumatism,  even  when  he  tries  them  in  succession;  but  if  he 
should  attempt  to  swallow  them  all  at  once  we  should  want  to 
appoint  a  guardian  for  his  little  remaining  strength  and  wit.  A 
somewhat  similar  feeling  is  aroused  by  the  recent  agitation  among 
farmers  as  to  the  cure  of  present  financial  stress  and  low  prices. 
Doctors  of  all  sorts  of  theories  and  of  every  form  of  practice  are 
shouting  out  remedies,  and  the  too-prevalent  disposition  seems  to 
be,  like  that  of  the  dazed  rheumatic,  to  gobble  them  all  at  once  in 
the  hope  that  something  may  hit  the  sore  spot. 

"Is  it  reasonable  to  take  such  wholesale  advice,  whose  conflict- 
ing remedies  neutralize  each  other?  Can  general  laxatives  in  the 
way  of  free  silver  and  unlimited  paper  currency  serve  well  with 
stringent  tonics  in  restrictive  business  legislation,  destruction  of 
property  in  railroad  stocks  and  commercial  enterprises,  and 
rejection  of  established  channels  of  trade?  To  drop  all  figures  of 
speech,  it  seems  likely  that  the  latest  efforts  to  organize  farmers 
for  the  full  consideration  of  their  needs  and  their  rights  and 
duties  are  to  prove  futile  from  the  neutralizing  elements  of  dissat- 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  111 

isfaction  brought  together.     No  organization,  however  extensive, 

is  worth   its  cost  unless  its  aims  are  definite  and   clearly    under 
stood.     Farmers  need  to  settle  upon  the  one  line  of  action  thai  is 
needed  tirst  and  follow  it;  then  the  time  will  come  to  settle  another 
line,  and  act  accordingly." 

THE  LEGISLATURE  OF  L897. 

This  was  the  condition  of  things  when  in  the  fall  of  1896  the  Re- 
publican party,  who  for  a  third  of  a  century  had  been  in  almost 
undisputed  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  State,  had  for  the  first 
time  met  a  complete  Waterloo,  the  Populists,  aided  by  the  Demo- 
crats and  Silver  Republicans,  having  captured  both  branches  of 
the  legislature,  together  with  the  executive  council.  The  result 
was  that  the  State  institutions,  of  whose  employees  over  ninety 
per  cent  were  Republicans,  were  closely  inquired  into  and  that 
some  things  were  found  wanting.  The  Agricultural  College 
especially  came  in  for  a  share  of  their  criticisms.  As  the  leaders 
of  the  party  sat  about  the  corridors  of  the  National  Hotel,  at  To- 
peka,  where  they  had  established  their  headquarters,  they  gen- 
erally agreed  that  President  Fairchild  was  an  uncompromising 
Republican,  an  autocrat,  and  a  man  who  had  outlived  his  useful- 
ness, that  the  Faculty  was  rusty,  that  the  College  should  give 
more  attention  to  economic  science,  that  the  Experiment  Station 
should  be  made  more  effective,  and  that  the  executive  powers  of 
the  President  should  be  pruned. 

The  College  needed  a  new  building  and  had  asked  for  appro- 
priations for  equipments  and  running  expenses  amounting  to  a 
total  of  over  $250,000.  To  get  these  appropriations  made  nec- 
essary the  presence  in  Topeka  of  an  effective  manager  and  lobby- 
ist who  would  be  in  political  accord  with  the  legislature  and  the 
governor.  President  Fairchild  saw  that  under  the  existing  con- 
ditions he  could  do  the  College  little  good  at  the  State  Capitol,  and 
urged  the  sending  of  another  member  of  the  Faculty.  In  1893, 
when  the  conditions  at  Topeka  were  similar,  the  College  was  rep- 
resented by  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters,  who  succeeded  in  getting  $70,000 
for  the  new  Library  Hall.  This  time  the  choice  fell  upon  Prof. 
Thomas  Elmer  Will,  of  the  Department  of  Political  Science.  Pro- 
fessor Will  was  successful  in  this  for  him  new  work,  but  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  discover  that  he  could  make  "hay"  for  himself. 
As  he  came  in  contact  with  the  leaders  of  the  party  he  also 
impressed  them  somehow  that  he  fitted  their  ideal  of  a  college 
president. 

It  would  be  incorrect  to  say  that  Professor  Will  hastened  the  im- 
pending crisis  at  the  College.     That  would  have  come  without  him. 


112  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

He  did  not  undermine  the  credit  of  President  Pairchild  and  did 
not  place  his  interests  above  those  of  the  College;  he  simply 
appeared  at  Topeka  at  the  right  time,  and  circumstances  did  the 
rest.  The  Board,  at  least,  positively  denied  the  rumor  that  Pres- 
ident Will  had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  resignation 
of  President  Pairchild.  It  asserted  this  publicly  from  the  ros- 
trum of  the  chapel  and  later,  when  the  rumor  persisted,  it  pub- 
lished a  statement  in  the  Industrialist,  which  read : 

"Whereas  statements  to  the  contrary  have  been  and  are  being 
industriously  circulated,  the  Board  of  Regents  hereby  expressly 
declare  that  Professor  Will  is  in  no  sense  responsible  for  the 
amendment  to  Senate  bill  No.  547,  whereby  the  President  of  the 
College  was  deprived  of  his  regency ;  that  he  did  not  instigate  or 
suggest  the  removal  of  President  Pairchild  from  the  Presidency 
of  the  College;  that  Professor  Will  was  not  an  applicant  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  College,  and  that  at  no  time  has  he  ever  sug- 
gested his  desire  or  willingness  to  occupy  the  office  of  President 
of  the  College,  until  directly  interrogated  by  members  of  the 
Board  at  their  present  session. " 

The  Senate  bill  referred  to  in  this  statement  by  the  Board  was 
an  act  reorganizing  the  Board  of  Regents.  It  extended  the 
tenure  of  office  of  the  members  from  three  years  to  four  years, 
increased  the  number  of  its  members  from  five  to  seven,  and 
robbed  the  President  of  his  ex-officio  membership.  It  was  un- 
doubtedly designed  for  the  purpose  of  placing  the  government  of 
the  College  in  the  hands  of  the  Populists  for  at  least  four  years, 
come  what  may.     The  law  reads  as  follows: 

Section  1.  The  government  of  the  College  is  vested  in  a  Board  of  seven 
Regents,  all  of  whom  shall  be  appointed  by  the  governor  and  confirmed  by 
the  Senate,  and  whose  term  of  office  shall  be  four  years.  Five  of  said 
Regents  shall  be  appointed  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  April,  1897,  one  of 
whom  shall  hold  his  office  until  the  first  day  of  April,  1899,  and  four  of 
whom  shall  hold  their  office  until  the  first  day  of  April,  1901;  two  shall  be 
appointed  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  April,  1898,  to  hold  office  until  the 
first  day  of  April,  1899,  and  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  April,  1899,  and 
every  four  years  thereafter  previous  to  the  first  day  of  April,  three  Regents, 
and  after  the  first  day  of  April,  1897,  four  Regents  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
governor  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate  for  a  term  of  four  years  each,  their 
terms  expiring  on  the  first  of  April. 

But  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  so  as  to  restrain  the  governor 
from  appointing  Regents  before  the  expiration  of  the  regular  legislative 
session. 

Whenevei  any  vacancy  shall  occur  in  the  said  Board  of  Regents  it  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  governor  at  once  to  appoint  some  suitable  person  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  And  when  any  appointment  is  made  while  the  legislature  is 
not  in  session  the  appointee  shall  hold  his  office  until  action  is  taken  upon 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  LIS 

his  appointment  by  the  Senate;  and  If  the  Senate  fails  to  take  action 
thereon  his  term  of  office  shall  expire  at  the  close  of  the  session,  and  the 
governor  shall  till  the  vacancy  as  in  other  eases. 

Sec.  '2.  No  one  connected  with  the  College  as  professor,  tutor,  teacher, 
or  employe,  shall  be  a  Regent. 

Sec.  3.  The  Regents  shall  elect  a  President,  who  shall  be  the  chief  officer 
of  the  College,  and  the  head  of  each  department  thereof,  and  the  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Regents,  and  whose  duties  and  powers,  otherwise  than  as 
prescribed  in  this  act,  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  Board  of  Regents. 

Sec.  4.  All  acts  and  parts  of  acts  in  conflict  with  the  provisions  of  this 
act  are  hereby  repealed. 

Sec.  5.  This  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  its  pub- 
lication in  the  Topeka  State  Journal. 

THE  NEW  BOARD. 

In  accordance  with  this  law  Governor  Leedy,  who,  unlike  his 
Populist  predecessor,  Lewelling,  was  not  averse  to  radical  changes 
in  the  State  institutions,  appointed  five  board  members,  two  Re- 
publicans— C.  R.  Noe  and  C.  B.  Doughters — holding  over.  The 
Populist  members  were  Ex-Congressman  Harrison  Kelley,  Ex-Con- 
gressman T.  J.  Hudson,  C.  B.  Hoffman,  Mrs.  Susan  J.  St.  John 
(the  wife  of  Ex-Governor  St.  John),  and  J.  N.  Limbocker.  The 
Board  was  a  strong  one.  The  leaders,  Kelley  and  Hoffman,  were 
men  who  meant  what  they  professed  and  who  were  ready  to  do 
anything  that,  in  their  opinion,  could  advance  the  causes  for  which 
populism  stood.  They  now  had  the  power  to  shape  the  policy  of 
the  College,  and  they  came  to  Manhattan  for  the  purpose  of  shap- 
ing it.  In  the  very  first  meeting  they  "suggested"  to  Pairchild 
that,  on  account  of  their  differences  in  "fundamentals,"  he  ought 
to  tender  his  resignation,  and  when  he  complied  (See  Pairchild 's 
biography  in  chapter  XI)  they  proceeded  at  once  to  elect  in  his 
place  Prof.  Thomas  Elmer  Will,  of  the  chair  of  political  science. 

The  writer  uses  the  word  "fundamentals"  because  it  was  used 
by  the  Board  in  justifying  their  action  of  changing  executives. 
When  pressed  for  a  definition  they  made  statements  to  the  effect 
that  their  reasons  for  "resigning"  Pairchild  were  partly  of  a  po- 
litical and  partly  of  a  business  character.  They  held  that  the  la- 
boring and  producing  classes,  for  whose  benefit  the  College  had 
been  founded,  should  be  better  instructed  in  political  science  and 
national  economy  and  that  it  was  the  duty  of  the  College  to  cause 
its  students  to  more  thoroughly  investigate  the  subjects  of  money, 
banking,  production,  and  tariff.  They  accused  the  former  man- 
agement of  swamping  the  Faculty  with  half -educated  men,  of  neg- 
lecting the  development  of  the  Agricultural  Department,  of  letting 
some  of  the  professors  shirk  their  work  and  leaving  it  in  the  hands 
of  their  assistants,  of  conducting  the  Experiment  Station  in  a  neg- 


114  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

ligent  manner,  of  crushing  the  "freedom"  of  instruction,  etc 
They  also  held  that  every  chair  in  the  College  became  vacant  at  the 
close  of  every  College  year,  and  that  a  formal  reelection  of  the  pro- 
fessors or  employes  was  necessary,  while  President  Fairchild 
held  that  the  professors,  in  accordance  with  old  usage  in  higher 
institutions  of  learning,  were  engaged  for  lifetime  or  during  "good 
behavior." 

Having  elected  a  new  President,  the  Board  felt  it  their  duty  to 
support  him  and  give  him  "a  backing"  in  the  Faculty.  To  this 
end  resignations  were  asked  of  Profs.  Geo.  T.  Failyer,  E.  A. 
Popenoe,  Chas.  C.  Georgeson,  S.  Mason,  and  D.  E.  Lantz.  These 
were  informed  of  the  new  rule  concerning  the  tenure  of  their 
engagement  and  given  the  alternative  of  "resignation  or  drop." 
As  may  be  expected,  there  was  much  excitement  in  the  College 
and  in  Manhattan.  For  weeks  the  press  of  the  State  flamed  with 
articles,  both  pro  and  con,  discussing  the  acts  of  the  Board,  and 
the  excitement  increased  when  it  became  known  that  several 
other  professors  had  voluntarily  resigned  or  offered  to  resign  to 
show  their  disapproval  of  the  acts  of  the  new  regime. 

But  the  Board  and  the  new  President  were  not  dismayed  by  the 
noise.  They  immediately  cast  about  for  new  professors;  the 
course  of  study  was  revised ;  the  time  given  to  history  and  eco- 
nomics was  greatly  increased,  and  the  Industrialist  was  changed 
from  a  weekly  newspaper  to  a  monthly  magazine.  The  old  course 
of  study  had  provided  for  one  term  (five  hours  per  week)  each  of 
general  history,  civics,  and  economics.  The  new  course  con- 
tained a  term  each  of  U.  S.  history,  general  history,  nineteenth 
century  history,  industrial  history,  civics,  elementary  economics, 
principles  of  economics,  economic  problems,  and  finance — an 
increase  of  about  800  per  cent. 

THE   NEW   FACULTY  AND  ITS   WORK. 

Among  the  new  members  of  the  Faculty  were  several  who  had 
a  wide  reputation  as  writers  on  political  and  economic  topics. 
Prof.  E.  W.  Bemis,  formerly  of  Chicago  University,  and  Prof. 
Frank  Parsons,  formerly  an  author  of  economic  books  and  a  lec- 
turer on  law  in  Boston  University,  were  called  to  the  chairs  of 
political  science  and  history,  respectively.  The  chair  of  domestic 
science  was  offered  to  and  accepted  by  Mrs.  Helen  Campbell,  the 
author  of  numerous  popular  books  on  domestic  science  and  so- 
ciology. The  chair  of  agriculture  was  filled  with  an  alumnus  of 
the  College,  Prof.  Henry  M.  Cottrell,  formerly  an  assistant  of  Pro- 
fessor   Georgeson   and   later   superintendent   of    Vice-president 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  115 

Morton's  model  dairy  farm,  "Ellerslie,"  OD  the  Hudson.  The 
chair  of  mathematics  was  given  to  Miss  Mary  P.  Winston,  a 
graduate  of  Bryn  Mavr  and  of  Goettingen,  Germany.  Later  this 
chair  was  divided,  and  the  linear  mathematics  and  surveying 
were  given  to  Dr.  Arnold  Emch,  the  author  of  several  books  on 
mathematical  subjects  and  a  postgraduate  of  this  College,  the 
Kansas  State  University,  and  the  University  of  Zurich,  Switzer- 
land. The  important  chair  of  chemistry  was  divided,  and  Prof. 
Julius  T.  Willard,  a  graduate  of  the  College  and  for  several  years 
assistant  to  Professor  Failyer,  was  given  the  pure  chemistry  and 
Dr.  Geo.  Weida,  a  graduate  of  Johns  Hopkins  University  and  the 
State  University  of  Kansas,  the  applied  chemistry.  The  chair  of 
horticulture  was  filled  by  appointing  Prof.  E.  E.  Faville,  formerly 
of  the  Nova  Scotia  School  of  Agriculture.  The  chair  of  the  newly 
organized  Department  of  Oratory  was  given  to  Prof.  Fredric 
Augustus  Metcalf,  a  member  of  the  Faculty  of  Emerson  College 
of  Oratory,  Boston.  After  the  resignation  of  Prof.  Oscar  Olin  the 
chair  of  English  was  offered  to  and  accepted  by  Dr.  Duren  Ward, 
a  former  minister  of  the  Unitarian  church. 

President  Will  was  now  in  his  element  and  felt  elated  by  his 
success  in  rallying  such  a  Faculty.  He  himself  was  a  man  of 
unusual  energy,  a  good  organizer  and  a  good  mixer,  a  man  who 
literally  worked  day  and  night.  The  Board  and  the  Faculty 
seemed  to  be  of  one  mind.  The  enrolment  was  satisfactory.  It 
grew  from  734  in  '96- '97,  to  803  in  '97-'98,  and  to  870  in  '98-'99. 
Everything  seemed  to  work  out  as  expected,  and  the  newspaper 
controversies  that  continued  all  over  the  State  were  rather  enjoyed 
by  the  "left"  wing  of  the  Faculty.  President  Will  and  his  cola- 
borers  in  the  Economics  Department  wielded  sharp  pens  and 
were  ever  ready  to  break  a  lance.  The  Industrialist,  now  changed 
to  a  monthly  magazine,  bristled  with  articles  on  free  silver  and 
banking.  Professor  Parsons  wrote  socialogical  newspaper  and 
magazine  articles  by  the  score.  Professor  Bemis  began  to  give 
afternoon  lectures  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  his  residence,  and  stu- 
dents and  citizens  flocked  there  in  dense  crowds  to  hear  him  pro- 
pound municipal  ownership  of  commodities.  Professor  Ward  or- 
ganized aUnitarian  church,  and  the  receptive  faction  of  the  students 
were  highly  elated  to  hear  the  old  gospel  preached  according  to  the 
new  version.  The  little  stone  church  at  the  corner  of  Poyntz  Ave- 
nue and  Sixth  street  was  filled  to  the  last  inch  every  Sunday  with 
disciples  who  had  been  more  or  less  converted  to  Doctor  Ward's 
views.  In  the  summer  of  1897  the  College  organized  a  number  of 
professional  four-year  courses :  A  course  in  agriculture,  a  course 


116 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


in  mechanical  engineering,  a  course  in  domestic  science,  and  a 
general  science  course.  It  also  organized  a  short  course  in  dairy- 
ing and  contemplated  the  organization  of  courses  in  electrical 
engineering,  civil  engineering,  and  architecture.  In  the  spring  of 
1898  a  College  bookstore  and  a  College  dining-hall  were  created, 
both  of  which  started  to  do  business  at  the  beginning  of  the  fall 
term.  The  former  was  to  sell  books,  tools  and  stationery  at 
actual  cost  to  students  and  members  of  the  Faculty.  It  was 
placed  under  the  supervision  of  the  senior  member  of  the  Faculty 


Kedzie  Hall. 

and  did  a  rushing  business  while  it  lasted.  In  less  than  eight 
months  it  handled  nearly  $8000  worth  of  books  and  apparatus,  and 
though  it  sold  at  an  advance  of  only  about  two  to  two  and  one  half 
per  cent  over  the  cost  price  of  the  goods  there  was  no  deficit 
when  the  business  was  stopped.  The  latter  was  located  in  the 
basement  of  the  Domestic  Science  Hall  and  put  under  the  care  of 
Mrs.  Helen  Campbell  and  her  successor,  Miss  Stoner.  It  pro- 
vided a  wholesome  dinner,  consisting  of  soup,  meat,  bread,  veg- 
etables and  pie,  at  the  low  price  of  8i  to  12J  cents  per  meal.  These 
dinners  became  popular  at  once,  and  several  hundred  students 
and  members  of  the  Faculty  dined  there  regularly. 

GROWTH  AND  IMPROVEMENTS  FROM  1897  TO  1899. 

Among  the  building  improvements  made  during  the  adminis- 
tration of  President  Will  may  be  mentioned  the  erection  and  com- 
pletion of  the  Domestic  Science  Hall — now  Kedzie  Hall — the  first 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  117 

oollege  building  in  America  exclusively  devoted  to  the  instruction 
of  women  in  the  arts  of  cooking  and  sewing.  The  building  was 
completed  at  a  cost  of  only  $  If), 000,  and  served  its  purpose  till 
L908,  when  a  much  larger  and  costlier  building  was  erected  for- 
tius purpose.  It  was  named  Kedzie  Hall  after  Prof.  Nellie  (Saw 
yer)  Kedzie,  who  occupied  the  chair  of  domestic  science  from  lHs^ 
till  1897.     It  is  now  the  home  of  the  Printing  Department. 

Another  effort  for  which  President  Will  and  the  Board  claimed 
much  credit  is  the  eradication  of  tuberculosis  from  the  College 
herd.  It  was  known  for  years  by  the  Faculty  that  the  herd  of 
high-grade  shorthorns  and  Hols  tines  were  badly  afflicted  by  tu- 
berculosis, but  as  there  were  no  funds  available  for  replacing  the 
animals  the  rumors  that  got  abroad  were  hushed.  When  Doctor 
Fisher,  the  new  veterinarian,  became  medical  guardian  of  the 
herd  he  insisted  that  it  was  in  very  bad  shape,  and  he  and  Pro- 
fessor Cottrell  brought  the  matter  before  the  Board,  who  ordered 
the  killing  of  the  whole  lot.  The  slaughtering  was  done  in  public 
and  proved  that  the  professors  were  right,  but  a  controversy 
sprang  up  over  the  killing  as  if  it  had  been  a  political  act.  The 
press  of  the  whole  country — even  of  Europe — echoed  of  the  killing 
and  its  various  aspects. 

THE   SILLY   BEQUEST. 

During  the  presidency  of  Professor  Will  the  College  received  a 
valuable  bequest  from  Charles  Silly,  a  Frenchman  who  came  to 
Kansas  in  1874.  He  owned  240  acres  of  line,  well-improved  land 
in  Franklin  and  Coffey  counties,  valued  by  him  at  $5000  (at  pres- 
ent worth  at  least  $20,000),  some  money  in  the  bank,  and  some 
property  in  France.  He  lived  a  solitary  life,  caring  for  no  one's 
society.  On  April  1,  1899,  he  sent  for  a  neighbor,  F.  L.  Williams, 
and  stated  to  him  that  he  was  old  and  sick  and,  as  he  was  a 
bachelor  without  near  relatives,  he  wanted  to  give  his  property  to 
the  young  men  of  the  Agricultural  College  to  help  them  obtain  an 
education.  He  said  he  believed  that  a  boy  would  make  a  better 
citizen  for  having  attended  this  institution,  and  talked  with  Mr. 
Williams  about  the  plans  to  handle  the  bequest.  Mr.  Silly  left 
soon  after  for  California  and  never  corresponded  directly  with  the 
officers  of  the  College.  He  did  not  live  long  after  making  the  be- 
quest, and  there  is  no  one,  except  Williams,  who  knows  of  the  in- 
tentions of  Mr.  Silly  and  his  plans  of  managing  the  estate  and 
aiding  the  students.  Mr.  Williams  has,  since  1898,  farmed  the 
Silly  farm,  built  some  farm  buildings  on  it,  loaned  money  to  the 
students  on  promisory  notes,  and  in  general  conducted  the  be- 
quest without  close  supervision  on  the  part  of  the  Board  of  Re- 


118 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


gents,  though  at  the  end  of  each  year  he  renders  a  short  report  of 
his  financial  operations. 

THE  COLLEGE  IN  THE  SPANISH  WAR. 

In  the  spring  of  1898  quite  a  number  of  students  enlisted  in  the 
U.  S.  army  that  was  raised  for  the  Spanish  war.  Besides  those 
who  left  College  to  join  the  ranks  many  graduates  and  old  students 
were  officers  and  men  in  regiments  of  Kansas  and  other  states. 
Following  is  a  list  of  students  who  joined  Company  H,  Twenty- 
Second  Kansas  Volunteer  Infantry.  This  was  composed  of  stu- 
dents from  the  three  State  colleges  and  two  private  colleges.  It 
was  known  as  the  college  company : 


Henry  M.  Thomas,  first  lieutenant. 

Abner  David  Whipple,  sergeant. 

Homer  Derr,  sergeant. 

Harry  Pratt,  corporal. 

Ernest  M.  Clark. 

Samual  Dolby. 

Hakon  Hansen. 


Roscoe  R.  Keeler. 
Lot  Parker  Keeler. 
Ray  O.  Porter. 
Eugene  V.  Roe. 
Lawrence  M.  Shearer. 
Osborne  P.  Shearer. 
John  Wyse. 


The  following  were  students  of  the  College  during  the  spring 
term  of  1898,  and  either  left  the  College  to  enter  the  army  or  else 
enlisted  at  the  second  call,  immediately  after  Commencement: 


R.  B.  Mitchell,  sergeant,  22d  Kan. 

M.  D.  Snodgrass,  22d  Kan. 

H.  L.  Snodgrass,  22d  Kan. 

Merle  Newell,  22d  Kan. 

C.  D.  Montgomery,  21st  Kan. 

W.  W.  Shoffner,  20th  Kan. 

Philip  Fox,  sergeant,  20th  Kan. 

Emery  S.  Adams,  20th  Kan. 

H.  W.  Yenawine,  sergeant,  22d  Kan. 

L.  H.  Thomas,  22d  Kan. 

R.  A.  Streeter,  22d  Kan. 


R.  B.  Peck,  22d  Kan. 

G.  R.  Crawford,  1st.  lieut.,  22d  Kan. 

G.  E.  Martin,  corporal.  22d  Kan. 

W.  J.  Martin,  22d  Kan. 

P.  F.  Fleming,  20th  Kan. 

H.  P.  Nielsen,  corporal.  22d  Kan. 

R.  S.  Wood,  21st  Kan. 

Bolivar  K.  Walters.  22d  Kan. 

Anthony  Kolsky.  22d  Kan. 

E.  W.  f  ague,  22d  Kan. 

Albert  Krotzer.  22d  Kan. 


In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  following  forty-five  former  stu 
dents  of  the  College  were  in  the  army  during  the  war: 


George  G.  Boardman,  21st  Kan. 

Robert  M.  Lee,  20th  Kan. 

Judd  Bridgman,  20th  Kan. 

John  Holland,  2d  U.  S.  Engineers. 

Albert  Todd,  captain,  —  Artillery. 

James  G.Harbord,  lieut., —Regulars. 

N.  M.  Green,  16th  Regulars. 

Douglas  Morrison,  —  Tex. 

W.  A.  Cavenaugh,  2d  lieut. ,  20th  Reg. 

Charles  S.  Evans,  —  Colo. 


W.  H.  Painter.  Tth  Cal. 

Georges  Grimes.  20th  Regulars. 

George  McDowell,  22d  Kan. 

W.  O.  Staver, —Regulars. 

Foster  Day,  22d  Kan. 

Chas.  R.  Edwards,  sergeant,  21st  Kan. 

L.  C.  Criner,  1st  lieut.,  21st  Kan. 

Lew  Hardy,  Hosp.  Corps.  Regulars. 

F.  H.  Hunt,  21st  Kan. 

Pearl  Porter,  corporal,  23d  Kan. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  119 

James  Beck,  Jr.,  2«$d  Kan.  Mark  Wheeler,  2d  lieut.,  4th  Regp. 

W.  E.  Jackson,  20th  Kan.  I.  S.  Martin,  7th  Cal. 

O.    G.   Palmer,    serg'eant,   1st  U.    S.  Ralph  Worden,  21st  Kan. 

Vol.  Cav.,  Rough  Riders.  Homer  Robison,  20th  Kan. 

Captain   McGinnis,   1st  U.    S.    Vol.  W.  O.  Strahl,  corporal,  22d  Kan. 

Cav.,  Rough  Riders.  Sprague  Farman,  22d  Kan. 

W.  K.  Blachly,  20th  Regulars.  Chase  Cole,  corporal,  20th  Kan. 

Wm.  McCord,  20th  Kan.  Elmer  Hathaway,  Hosp.  Corps,  Regs. 

Ralph  McDowell,  20th  Kan.  George  Finley,  . 

Frank  A.  Coe,  lieut.,  —  Regulars.  Robert  Garret,  — Gal. 

Eli  A.  Helmick,  lieut., — Regulars.  A.  M.  Ferguson,  corporal,  20th  Kan. 

Charles  M.  Paige,  22d  Kan.  Albert  Porter,  23d  Kan. 

Truman  Allen,  Hospital  Corps.  Grant  Allen,  corporal,  20th  Regs. 

C.  A.  Johnson,  Hospital  Corps. 

SPECIAL  SESSION    OF    THE   LEGISLATURE. 

The  students  behaved  well  during  Professor  Will's  presidency. 
They  were  generally  satisfied  with  the  new  order  of  things,  but 
not  so  a  majority  of  the  alumni,  the  city  of  Manhattan,  and  the 
State.  The  College  bookstore,  the  College  dining-hall  and  the  Col- 
lege printing-office  were  not  popular  down  town.  In  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1898  the  political  fight  between  the  Republicans 
and  Populists  rather  increased  than  decreased  in  fury,  and  the 
College  became  once  more  a  storm  center.  The  Faculty,  too, 
were  not  harmonious,  and  President  Will  was  not  just  "diplo- 
matic" in  quelling  differences.  Regent  Harrison  Kelley,  the  pilot 
of  the  Board,  had  died,  Profs.  Helen  Campbell,  Oscar  Olin  and 
Ozni  Hood  had  resigned,  a  Republican  victory  in  the  fall  of  1898 
became  a  certainty,  and  with  it  appeared  the  "ominous  handwrit- 
ing on  the  wall."  When  the  November  election  placed  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  possession  of  the  State  government,  the  partizan 
press  demanded  vociferously  the  cleansing  of  the  State  institu- 
tions from  all  Populists  who  had  made  themselves  obnoxious  or 
conspicuous.  The  death  of  Regent  Kelley  had  reduced  the  Popu- 
list Regents  to  six,  three  of  whom  would  lose  their  seats  in  April, 
1899,  and  this  meant  a  majority  of  Republican  Regents  before  the 
close  of  the  school  year.  In  December,  however,  Governor 
Leedy  called  a  special  session  of  the  old  legislature  to  pass  a 
number  of  laws  for  the  purpose  of  governing  and  regula- 
ting railroads,  and  this  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  appoint 
two  additional  Populists,  a  move  that  was  highly  appreciated  by 
the  "left"  wing  of  the  Faculty.  The  Senate  promptly  confirmed 
the  appointed  Regents,  Wm.  H.  Phipps  and  Carl  Vrooman,  but  to 
be  certain  of  its  concordance  President  Will  addressed  a  circular 
letter  to  the  members,  from  which  the  following  interesting  para- 
graphs are  excerpted : 


120  KANSAS   STATE  AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

"At  the  last  legislative  session  a  law  was  passed  lengthening  the 
terms  of  Regents  of  the  Agricultural  College  from  three  years  to 
four  and  superseding  the  President  of  the  College,  till  then  a 
Regent,  by  a  seventh  Regent  appointed  by  the  governor.  By  the 
provisions  of  this  law  the  terms  of  four  of  the  Regents  will 
expire  regularly  at  the  end  of  one  biennium,  three  at  the  end  of 
the  next  and  so  continuing  every  two  years  in  groups  of  four  and 
three  respectively. 

"But  the  death  of  Regent  Kelley  will  have  broken,  after  April  1, 
1899,  the  majority  of  members  appointed  by  Governor  Leedy, 
which,  by  the  provisions  of  the  law,  would  have  continued  until 
1901.  The  appointment  and  confirmation  at  the  present  session 
of  a  successor  to  Regent  Kelley  will  restore  this  majority  and 
insure  the  continuance  until  1901  of  the  present  policy.  Whether 
this  be  desirable   the   following  showing  may  briefly  indicate: 

"Since  assuming  control  in  April,  1897,  the  present  Board  has 
removed,  from  the  Faculty  of  twenty-four,  eight  persons.  These 
vacancies  have  been  filled  with  competent  talent,  the  governing 
principle  in  removals  and  appointments  being  that  of  kno  removal 
except  for  cause  and  no  appointment  except  for  merit.'  In  both 
removals  and  appointments  political  preferences  have  been 
ignored.  This  position  has  been  fully  set  forth  in  an  official 
statement  of  the  Board. 

"Competent  judges,  regardless  of  party,  admit  that  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  institution  has  been  greatly  increased.  The  present 
management  has  added  to  the  single  general  course  of  study 
special  courses  in  agriculture,  engineering,  architecture,  house- 
hold economics,  and  dairying,  and  is  about  to  add  a  course  in  civil 
engineering.  It  has  erected  the  domestic  science  building 
granted  by  the  last  legislature  and  about  to  be  dedicated,  has 
housed  the  Departments  of  Household  Economics  and  Sewing, 
established  a  dining-hall  in  which  meals  are  furnished  to  students 
and  employes  at  cost,  and  a  bookstore  at  which  students'  books 
and  supplies  are  furnished,  also  at  cost,  has  established  a  line  of 
practical  experiments  in  seed  breeding,  moisture  conservation, 
dairying,  fruit  culture,  inoculation  for  swine  plague,  etc.,  elimi- 
nated tuberculosis  from  the  College  herd,  made  of  the  College 
paper  a  high-grade  magazine,  put  the  institution  before  the  people 
in  a  way  hitherto  unknown  and,  despite  opposition,  greatly  in- 
creased the  enrolment  over  that  of  all  preceding  years. 

"Prom  the  beginning  the  Board  has  taken  a  stand  in  favor  of 
the  freedom  of  science  and  teaching.  In  the  belief  that  truth  has 
nothing  to  fear  but  everything  to  hope  from  the  fullest  inquiry 


KANSAS   STATK    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


L21 


and  the  freest  discussion,  the  Board  has  insisted  that  in  the  class 
rooms  of  this  College  each  teacher  shall  be  absolutely  free  to  pre- 
sent the  truth  as  he  sees  it,  and  each  student  shall  be  equally  free 
to  press  his  queries  until  satisfied.  It  is  gratifying  to  state  that, 
thus  far,  the  results  of  this  policy  have  been  highly  satisfactory 
to  all  concerned. 

"If  the  policy  thus  outlined  is  deemed  worthy  and  the  results 
adequate,  we  ask  your  endorsement  of  the  management  at  the 


Faculty  of 


present  special  session  by  the  appointment  and  confirmation  of  a 
successor  to  Regent  Kelley;  and  we  also  ask  that  the  acceptable 
services  of  Regent  Phipps  be  recognized  by  the  confirmation  of 
his  appointment." 

Apparently,  the  Populists  had  fortified  themselves  for  another 
term  of  two  years,  but  in  order  to  be  doubly  sure  the  president 
of  the  Board,  early  in  March,  made  written  contracts  with  some  of 
the  professors,  engaging  them  for  the  following  College  year  at 
stipulated  salaries.  The  contracts  were  drawn  up  with  care  and 
duly  signed  by  the  president  and  the  secretary  of  the  Board.  To 
these  arrangements  for  an  effective  defense  the  Republicans  made 
no  objections,  but  made  their  preparations  to  capture  the  govern- 
ment of  the  institution  by  means  of  a  "coup  d'etat."  Governor 
Stanley  sent  the  State  accountant  to  make  an  examination  of  the 
books  and  affairs  of  the  College,  with  orders  "to  find  something, " 
—9 


122  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

and  the  officer  found  a  number  of  irregularities  that  were  consid- 
ered sufficient  to  oust  two  of  the  Regents  and  replace  them  with 
Republicans.  Editor  Perkins,  of  the  Manhattan  Nationalist,  who 
had  been  vociferous  in  fighting  the  College  printing-office,  was 
selected  to  bring  formal  charges  against  the  Board;  the  governor 
appointed  a  committee  of  five  members  of  the  legislature  to  inves- 
tigate the  matter;  a  public  trial  was  held;  two  or  three  of  the 
seven  charges  made  were  considered  proved,  and  Regents  Hoff- 
man and  Limbocker  were  ousted. 

Some  of  the  charges  were  directed  against  the  whole  Board 
and  some  against  the  two  members  who  had  made  themselves 
especially  obnoxious  to  the  incoming  party.  It  was  charged  that 
the  Board  had  used  the  institution  to  propagate  partizan  views; 
that  it  had  met  and  transacted  business  in  meetings  without  a 
quorum ;  that  it  had  increased  many  salaries  beyond  the  maxi- 
mum allowed  by  the  so-called  "Jumper"  act,  a  bill  passed  by  the 
Populist  legislature  of  1894,  limiting  the  salaries  of  all  employes 
of  State  institutions;  that  it  had  created  a  large  deficit,  and  that 
it  had  used  the  funds  of  the  College  for  the  purpose  of  running  a 
bookstore  and  a  dining-hall.  The  special  charges  against  the  two 
members  were  of  a  trivial  character,  but  they  served  their  pur- 
pose. Regent  Hoffman  was  charged  of  having  sold  to  the  lady 
manager  of  the  College  dining-room  a  sack  or  two  of  graham  flour. 
Hoffman  did  not  deny  the  charge  but  showed  that  at  the  time 
when  the  flour  was  bought  he  was  absent  from  his  mill  at  Enter 
prise  and  that  his  bookkeeper,  who  made  the  sale,  was  un- 
acquainted with  the  law  forbidding  the  selling  of  merchandise  by 
a  Regent  to  the  State  institution  which  he  serves.  Regent  Lim- 
bocker was  charged  with  having  accepted  a  monthly  salary  as 
purchasing  agent  of  the  dining-hall,  and  of  having  sold  a  load  of 
wood  to  the  dining-room  manager.  He  showed  that  the  salary 
amounted  to  much  less  than  the  per  diem,  which  he  could  have 
drawn  for  his  work,  and  that  the  wood  was  not  really  sold  but 
simply  exchanged,  he  having  sent  up  a  load  of  his  own  dry  wood 
for  a  load  of  green  wood  which  a  farmer  had  tried  to  deliver  to  the 
College.  Each  party  to  the  suit  had  an  array  of  lawyers  on  the 
floor,  and  the  spacious  court  room  was  thronged  from  morning 
till  night  with  spectators  of  all  political  colors.  The  weekly  Man- 
hattan Republic  issued  a  daily  edition  during  the  court  week,  and 
the  expenses  of  the  two  parties  to  the  suit  must  have  reached  a 
total  of  several  thousand  dollars. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L23 

A    REPUBLICAN    BOARD. 

Governor  Stanley  now  filled  the  vacancies  with  new  men.  The 
new  members  of  the  Board  were  T.  E.  Pairchild,  of  Ellsworth 
(later  elected  State  superintendent  of  public  instruction),  J.  S. 
McDowell,  of  Smith  Center,  W.  T.  Yoe,  of  Independence,  Wm. 
Hunter,  of  Blue  Rapids,  and  J.  M.  Satterthwaite,  of  Douglas. 
They  met,  declared  all  contracts  with  the  members  of  the  Faculty 
invalid,  and  discharged  President  Will,  Professors  Bemis,  Par- 
sons, Ward,  and  Emch,  Secretary  Phipps,  Superintendent  Davis, 
of  the  Printing  Department,  and  Assistant  Clothier,  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Botany.  When  the  case  of  Dr.  Duran  Ward  was  consid- 
ered, a  delegation  of  Manhattan  ministers  appeared  and  asked  for 
an  investigation  of  his  efforts  to  lead  the  students  away  from  the 
paths  of  orthodoxy.  The  discharge  of  these  men,  though  expected, 
warmed  up  the  press  once  more,  and  "Kansas  Methods  of  Gov- 
erning Educational  Institutions"  became  once  more  the  theme  of 
newspaper  and  magazine  articles  from  Dan  to  Beersheba. 

FACULTY  IN  1899. 

At  the  close  of  the  presidency  of  T.  E.  Will,  in  June,  1899,  the 
Board  of  Instruction  consisted  of  the  following  professors,  assist- 
ants, foremen,  Experiment  Station  officers,  clerks,  etc.: 

Thomas  Elmer  Will,  A.  M.  (Harvard),  President 

Professor  of  Economics  and  Philosophy 

John  D.  Walters,  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) 

Professor  of  Industrial  Art  and  Designing* 

Albert  S.  Hitchcock,  M.  S.  (Iowa  Agricultural  College).  .Professor  of  Botany 
Henry  M.  Cottrell,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Professor  of  Agriculture,  Superintendent  of  Farm 

Julius  T.  Willard,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Professor  of  Applied  Chemistry 

George  F.  Weida,  Ph.  D.  (Johns  Hopkins) Professor  of  Pure  Chemistry 

Edward  W.  Bemis,  Ph.D.  (Johns  Hopkins) .  .Professor  of  Economic  Science 
Duren  J.  H.  Ward,  Ph.  D.  (Leipsic) 

Professor  of  English  Language  and  Literature 

Arnold  Emch,  Ph.  D.  ( University  of  Kansas) 

Professor  of  Graphic  Mathematics 

Frank  Parsons,  B.  C.  E.  (Cornell  University) 

Professor  of  History  and  Political  Science 

Professor  of 

Horticulture  and  Entomology,  Superintendent  of  Orchards  and  Gardens 
Miss  Minnie  A.  Stoner  (Boston  N.  S.  of  H.  A.),  B.  S.  (S.  D.  A.  C.) 

Professor  of 

Household  Economics,  Superintendent  of  Domestic  Science  Department 

Miss  Mary  F.  Winston,  Ph.D.  (Goettingen) Professor  of  Mathematics 

Joseph  D.  Harper,  M.  S.  (Rose  Polytechnic  Institute) 

...Professor  of  Mechanics  and  Engineering,  Superintendent  of  Workshops 

Professor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics 

Alexander  B.  Brown  (Boston  Music  School),  A.  M.  (Olivet) 

Professor  of  Music 


124  KANSAS   STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Fredric  Augustus  Metcalf,  O.  M.  (Emerson  College  of  Oratory) 

Professor  of  Oratory 

Ernest  R.   Nichols,    D.  B.  (Iowa  Normal),  B.  S.,  A.M.  (University  of 

Iowa) Professor  of  Physics 

Charles  S.  Davis  (Kansas  State  Normal  School)... Superintendent  of  Printing- 
Paul  Fischer.  B.  Agr.,  M.  V.  D.  (Ohio  State  University) 

Professor  of  Veterinary  Science 

Miss  Harriet  Howell  (Pratt  Institute) Superintendent  of  Sewing 

Miss  Alice  Rupp  (Indiana  State  Normal) .  .Instructor  in  English 

Miss  Josephine  C.  Harper Instructor  in  Mathematics 

Miss  Helen  J.  Wescott Librarian 

ASSISTANTS   AND  FOREMEN. 

William  L.  House Foreman  of  Carpenter  Shop 

R.  W.  Clothier,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Chemistry 

Royal  S.  Kellogg,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) General  Assistant 

J.  M.  Westgate,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) General  Assistant 

Wm.  H.  Moore,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Foreman  of  Greenhouses 

C.  P.  Hartley,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Horticulture 

Mrs.  Mary  L.  Hanson,  Assistant  in  the  Department  of  Household  Economics 

Charlotte  J.  Short,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Asst.  in  Household  Economics 

Enos  Harrold Foreman  of  Iron  Shop 

Margaret  J.  Minis Assistant  Librarian 

R.  B.  Mitchell.  ..Cadet  Major  and  Acting  Commandant  of  College  Battalion 
LorenaM.  Helder,  M.T.  (Kan.  Con.  of  Music),  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Assistant  in  Music 

R.  H.  Brown,  M.T.  (Kan.  Con.  of  Music),  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Assistant  in  Music 

Mrs.  Winnifrede  W.  Metcalf Assistant  in  Oratory 

S.  N.  Chaffee,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Principal  of  Preparatory  Department 

J.  D.  Rickman Foreman  of  Printing  Department 

Ora  G.  Yenawine,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Sewing 

Chas.  W.  Pape,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Asst.  in  Vet.  Science  and  Biology 

ASSISTANTS  IN  EXPERIMENT   STATION. 

F.  C.  Burtis,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Feeding  and  Field  Work 

D.  H.  Otis,  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Dairying 

G.  L.  Clothier,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Botany 

P.  J.  Parrott,  A.  B.  (Kansas  State  University) Entomology 

W.  L.  Hall,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Horticulture 

OTHER  OFFICERS. 

Wm.  Canrield  Lee,  A.  B.  (Kenyon) Private  Sec.  to  Pres. 

Lorena  E.  demons,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Acting  Secretary 

Eugene  Emrick Janitor 

Jacob  Lund,  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Engineer 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  12! 


XIII. 

PRESIDENT  WILL  AND  HIS  COLLABORATORS     PROF.  E,  W .  BEMIS      PROF.  PRANK 
PARSONS— PROF.  MARY  WINSTON-PROF.  HENRY  M.  OOTTRELL— PROF.  HELEN 

CAMPBELL -PROF.  A    EMCH. 

r HE  FACULTY  called  to  Manhattan  by  Pres.  T.  E.  Will  was  in 
many  respects  a  strong  one.  Even  the  political  opponents 
conceded  that  he  had  selected  men  of  high  attainments.  The 
"economists  "  were  often  involved  in  political  and  socialogical  con- 
troversies with  newspapers,  but  the  professors  were  never 
treated  as  light-weights  by  their  antipods.  Nor  did  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Faculty  belong  to  the  new  party.  Professors  Olin, 
Hood,  Harper,  Weida,  Fisher,  Willard,  Winston,  Faiville  and 
others  were  not  known  to  be  Populists  and  only  a  few  of  the 
members  of  the  teaching  force  believed  in  the  free  silver  doctrine. 
President  Will  himself  was  a  hard  worker,  a  forceful  public 
speaker,  and  a  prolific  writer,  and  there  was  never  any  doubt 
among  his  associates  about  the  honesty  of  his  purposes.  The  stu- 
dent body  was  loyal  to  him ;  in  fact,  those  under  his  immediate  in- 
fluence liked  him  best. 

PRES.  T.  E.  WILL. 

Thomas  Elmer  Will,  M.  A.,  was  born  November  11,  1861,  at 
Stones  Prairie,  Adams  county,  Illinois.  He  spent  the  first  seven 
years  in  that  state,  for  most  part  in  the  village  of  Plainfield,  and 
the  next  seven  in  Carroll  county,  Missouri,  on  a  farm.  He  then 
removed  with  his  parents  to  Roanoke,  Woodford  county,  Illinois. 
His  early  years  were  uneventful  and  he  had  meager  opportunities 
for  schooling.  He  read  much,  however,  and  became  determined 
to  secure  a  liberal  education.  Between  the  ages  of  fourteen  and 
eighteen  he  worked  on  the  farm,  or  studied,  often  seriously  ham- 
pered by  failing  eyesight.     In  1880  he  taught  a  country  school. 

In  1882  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  Normal  and  graduated  in 
1885.  He  then  resumed  teaching,  serving  for  three  years  suc- 
cessively as  grammar  teacher  in  Lacon,  111.,  as  principal  of  public 
schools  in  Calconda,  111.,  and  as  principal  of  Edwards  Grammar 
School  in  Springfield,  111.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  continuing  for  one  year.  He  then  entered 
the  senior  class  in  Harvard  College  and  graduated  in  1890.  At  the 
end  of  this  year  he  was  made  Henry  Lee's  fellow  of  political  econ- 
omy and  at  the  end  of  the  following  year  he  was  given  the  degree 


126 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


of  A.  M.     Throughout  his  university  work  he  specialized  in  edu- 
cation, history,  economics,  and  sociology. 

On  completing  his  university  studies  he  married  Miss  Van 
Velsor  Rogers,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  accepted  the  chair  of 
history  and  political  science  in  Lawrence  University,  at  Appleton, 


Pres.  T.  E.  Will. 


Wis.  Here  he  continued  for  two  years,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Boston  for  one  year,  where  he  helped  in  organizing  the  Union 
for  Practical  Progress,  delivered  courses  of  lectures  on  economics, 
and  wrote  a  series  of  sociological  articles  for  the  Arena.  In  the 
summer  of  1894  he  was  called  to  the  chair  of  political  economy  in 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  where  he  continued  until 
1897  when  he  was  elected  President. 

The  executive  office  became  his  without  an  effort,  but  it  gave 
him  meager  opportunities  to  test  his  abilities  as  the  head  of  a 
higher  institution  of  learning.     The  State  was  the  center  of  a 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  1-7 

political  upheaval  in  which  he  became  a  prominent  figure.  H<i 
was  too  warm-blooded  and  too  young  to  play  "hedger."     ll<>  took 

side  and  two  years  later  his  side  lost.  He  was  probably  not  a  full 
blood  Populist  at  any  time,  but  he  advocated  bimetalism  and  stale 
ownership  of  public  utilities,  and  spoke  and  wrote  boldly  in  favor 
of  his  doctrines.  This  was  enough.  The  free  silver  combination 
lost  out  and  President  Will,  together  with  a  number  of  his  col- 
laborators in  the  Faculty,  were  "resigned."  The  faithful  work 
which  he  had  done  in  the  class  room  and  in  the  executive  office 
was  acknowledged  by  foe  as  well  as  friend,  but  it  availed  him 
nothing.     (See  preceding  chapter.) 

The  six  years  following  the  close  of  his  work  at  the  Kansas 
State  Agricultural  College  he  devoted  primarily  to  emphasizing 
the  principles  taught  in  his  lectures,  addresses,  and  papers  while 
President.  The  first  year  and  a  half  were  spent  in  Manhattan  and 
Chicago  lecturing  and  writing.  Most  of  the  period  of  1900-'03  was 
devoted  to  educational,  literary  and  administration  work  at  Ruskin 
College,  Trenton,  Mo.,  where  he  was  president.  The  next  two 
years  he  gave  to  similar  work  in  Wichita,  Kan.  In  1905  he  was 
appointed  to  a  position  in  the  United  States  Census  Office,  and 
later  in  the  American  Forestry  Association,  Washington.  D.  C, 
where  he  still  remains.  In  connection  with  this  forestry  work  he 
has  written  widely  for  the  magazines  and  has  lectured  in  twenty 
different  states,  sixty-four  illustrated  chautauqua  lectures  having 
been  given  in  1908  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  and  Missouri. 

The  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  is  deeply  indebted  to  Ex- 
President  Will  for  many  new  things  and  new  ideas,  and  as  time 
passes  his  memory  in  Kansas  will  become  brighter  and  more  just. 
He  will  be  given  credit  for  greatly  increasing  the  attendance,  for 
diversifying  the  work  by  the  organization  of  different  courses,  for 
habituating  the  legislature  to  the  idea  of  appropriating  liberally 
to  the  College,  and  for  stimulating  original  work  and  research  in 
the  Experiment  Station  and  in  the  many  fields  of  abstract  science. 
He  will  be  absolved  from  the  charge  of  having  been  a  mere  politi- 
cian and  will  be  given  his  proper  place  among  the  makers  of  the 
College. 

PROF.  E.  W.  BEMIS. 

Prof.  Edward  W.  Bemis,  Ph.  D.,  was  born  April  7,  1860,  at 
Springfield,  Mass.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Springfield  (Mas- 
sachusetts) High  School  in  1876,  and  from  Amherst  College  in 
1880,  receiving  the  honors  of  the  class  in  history  and  political 
economy.  He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  in  his- 
tory and  political  economy  at  the  Johns  Hopkins  University  in 


128  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1885,  after  three  years  of  resident  study  there  and  two  years  of 
private  study  while  teaching  and  doing  editorial  work  in  Minneap- 
olis and  St.  Paul. 

During  the  next  three  years  the  professor  gave  courses  of  lec- 
tures at  Mt.  Holyoke  College,  Vassar  College,  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity, and  Adrian  College.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  conducted  at  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  the  first  university  extension  course  ever  given  in  this 
country.  Prom  January,  1888,  until  July,  1892,  he  was  in  charge 
of  the  economics  and  history  at  Vanderbilt  University,  Nashville, 
Tenn.  From  September,  1892,  until  September,  1895,  he  was 
associate  professor  of  economics  at  the  University  of  Chicago. 
After  that  date  he  worked  for  two  years  for  the  Illinois  Bureau 
of  Labor  Statistics  and  at  editorial  work  for  the  Chicago  Record 
and  the  publishers  of  the  Bibliotheca  Sacra.  He  also  gave  college 
courses  at  the  University  of  Illinois  and  Syracuse  University. 
Before  coming  to  Manhattan  he  had  published  a  monograph  on 
"Local  Government,"  a  pamphlet  on  municipal  ownership  of  gas 
in  the  United  States,  and  a  report  of  the  Illinois  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics  for  1896,  containing  chapters  on  the  street  railways  and 
gas  companies  of  Chicago. 

Doctor  Bemis  remained  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege from  1897  to  1899  as  the  head  of  the  Department  of  Eco- 
nomics. He  was  a  scholarly  and  energetic  teacher  and,  though 
he  belonged  to  the  school  of  advanced  thinkers  of  his  period,  he 
was  conservative  in  all  of  his  work.  Students  and  colleagues 
were  attracted  by  his  characteristic  methods  of  presenting  the 
difficult  subjects  of  his  chair,  and  when  the  Populists  lost  the 
State  election  in  1899  there  was  some  talk  of  retaining  him  at  the 
College  and  giving  him  the  presidency.  Since  his  resignation  at 
Manhattan  he  has  made  himself  a  name  as  investigator  of  mu- 
nicipal affairs  in  Chicago,  Detroit,  Buffalo,  and  other  cities.  He  is 
to-day  a  recognized  authority  on  economic  questions  pertaining  to 
the  municipal  ownership  of  street  railways,  gas  plants,  and  water- 
works. 

PROF.  PRANK  PARSONS. 

Prof.  Prank  Parsons  prepared  for  college  at  Aaron  Academy, 
near  Mount  Holly,  N.  J.  Later  he  took  the  civil  engineering 
course  at  Cornell  and  graduated  in  1873  in  his  eighteenth  year. 
He  then  obtained  a  position  on  the  engineering  staff  of  a  new  rail- 
way;  but  a  panic  exploded  the  company  and  he  began  teaching  in 
Southbridge,  Mass.,  starting  with  a  district  school  and  ending  a 
few  years  later  as  teacher  of  mathematics  and  French  in  the  high 
school.     A  law  having  been  passed  in  Massachusetts  requiring  the 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L29 

teaching  of  drawing  in  the  public  schools,  he  then  became  teacher 

of  drawing  in  the  Normal  Art  School  and  was  so  highly  successful 

that  the  teachers  of  other  branches  complained  to  the  board  thai  it 
was  impossible  to  get  students  to  give  proper  attention  to  their 
other  studios  because  of  their  infatuation  with  drawing.  While  a 
teacher  of  the  Art  Normal  he  revised  the  text-book  series  of  Prof. 
Walter  Smith,  published  by  the  Prang  Company. 

In  consequence  of  some  able  speeches  which  he  made,  Judge 
Bartholomew,  a  leading  lawyer,  urged  him  to  study  law,  and 
a  year  later  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  never  practiced  law, 
however,  but  became  a  text  writer  for  the  well-known  legal  pub- 
lishing house  of  Little,  Brown  and  Co.,  and  later  accepted  a 
position  as  lecturer  on  law  in  Boston  University,  which  he  held  for 
about  six  years.  During  this  period  he  wrote  a  large  number  of 
remarkable  books  on  sociology,  such  as  "The  World's  Best 
Books,"  "The  Philosophy  of  Law,"  "Our  Country's  Need,"  etc. 
Professor  Parson's  "Philosophy  of  Mutualism,"  which,  with  many 
other  articles  from  his  pen,  appeared  in  the  Arena,  gradually 
identified  him  with  the  growing  party  of  municipal  reformers  who 
were  not  popular  then  but  who  since  that  time  have  been  able  to 
gain  a  foothold  in  many  cities  and  states.  These  articles  dealt 
with  questions  of  monopoly,  transportation,  and  public  utilities, 
and  were  often  republished  in  newspapers  and  in  United  States 
documents.  He  also  wrote  several  sections  of  Professor  Ely's 
Cyclopedia  of  Social  Reform.  Beside  writing  these  books  and 
articles  the  professor  delivered  hundreds  of  lectures  upon  social 
reform  topics  all  over  the  country. 

Professor  Parsons  at  once  made  himself  a  name  as  a  highly 
original  and  successful  teacher  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College.  He  did  not  use  text- books  in  his  higher  work,  but  taught 
by  lectures  on  topics  given  to  the  students  on  printed  slips.  The 
list  of  absentees  was  kept  by  a  student ;  and  the  quiz  papers  were 
graded  by  postgraduates.  The  discipline  of  his  students  was  per- 
fect and  came  without  any  effort.  They  seemed  to  form  orderly 
debating  societies  rather  than  reciting  classes.  In  his  private  life 
the  professor  was  somewhat  odd.  He  was  an  exceedingly  plain 
spinster;  he  spoke  but  little,  had  a  pleasant  smile  for  everybody 
and,  like  the  proverbial  German  university  professor,  could 
remember  facts,  faces  and  even  figures,  but  not  names.  He  was 
called  to  the  chair  of  history  and  political  science  of  the  Kansas 
State  Agricultural  College  in  the  spring  of  1897,  and  left  in  1899 
to  return  to  his  old  work  in  Boston  University,  where  he  died  in 
the  fall  of  1908. 


130 


KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


PROF.  MARY  F.  WINSTON. 

Prof.  Mary  P.  Winston,  Ph.  D.,  was  born  at  Forreston,  111.,  in 
1869.  She  entered  the  University  of  Wisconsin  in  1884  and  was 
graduated  in  1889  with  special  honors  in  mathematics.  During 
the  two  years  following  she  was  instructor  in  mathematics  in 
Downer  College,  Pox  Lake,  Wis.  In  1891  she  was  appointed  fellow 
in  mathematics  at  Bryn  Mawr  College  and  studied  there  one  year. 


Prof.  Mary  F.  Winston. 


During  the  following  year  she  held  an  honorary  fellowship  in 
mathematics  at  the  University  of  Chicago.  In  the  summer  of 
1893  she  attended,  at  Chicago,  the .  mathematical  congress,  in 
which  Professor  Klein,  of  Goettingen,  took  a  prominent  part. 
She  was  honored  with  an  invitation  to  attend  a  colloquium  on 
mathematical  subjects,  held  by  the  professor  at  Evanston,  after 
the  close  of  the  congress,  and  became  acquainted  with  the  famous 
mathematician,  which  led  to  the  resolution  on  her  part  to  go  to 
Goettingen,  Germany,  to  study.  She  wrote  to  the  minister  of 
education  at  Berlin  for  a  special  permit  to  enter  that  old  and 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  181 

world  renowned  university,  and  obtained  permission  to  do  so  — a 

privilege  which  had  never  been  granted  ton  woman  before. 

Miss  Winston  remained  in  Goettingen  for  three  years,  study 
ing  pure  mathematics,  physics,  and  astronomy,  and  in  June,  1896, 
successfully  passed  the  exacting  examinations  for  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Philosophy  magna  cum  laude.  While  in  Goettingen, 
Miss  Winston  was  granted  the  distinction  of  a  fellowship  by  the 
American  Association  of  College  Alumnae.  Her  dissertation  was 
published  in  the  Mathematische  Analen,  one  of  the  great  mathe- 
matical journals  of  Europe. 

Doctor  Winston  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  mathematics  at  this 
College  in  1897  and  remained  here  three  years,  when  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Professor  Newson,  of  the  chair  of  mathematics  of  the  State 
University  of  Kansas.  She  was  a  painstaking,  systematic  and 
effective  teacher  of  her  subjects,  well  liked  by  the  students  and 
the  Faculty.  She  departed  from  Manhattan  with  the  regret,  gen- 
erally expressed,  that  a  woman  of  her  scientific  attainments  can 
not  fill  two  positions  at  one  and  the  same  time:  that  of  a  college 
professor  and  that  of  a  home  maker. 

PROF.  HENRY  M.  COTTRELL. 

Prof.  Henry  Mortimer  Cottrell,  M.  S.,  the  fifth  professor  of 
agriculture  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  was  born 
July  29,  1863,  at  Mendon,  111.  When  twelve  years  old  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Wabaunsee,  Kan.,  where  he  went  to  school  in 
winter  and  herded  cattle  in  summer.  He  graduated  from  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  in  1884,  having  taken,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  regular  courses,  a  special  course  in  chemistry.  After 
graduating  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  and  at  the  same 
time  carried  on  a  postgraduate  course  in  agriculture  and  agricul- 
tural chemistry,  receiving  the  degree  of  Master  of  Science  in  1887. 
In  the  same  year  he  married  Miss  Fannie  M.  Dorman,  a  third-year 
student  at  the  College.  In  February  of  1888  Mr.  Cottrell  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  agriculturist  in  the  Kansas  Experiment  Station. 
He  resigned  this  position  in  September,  1891,  to  accept  the  super- 
intendency  of  Vice-President  Levi  P.  Morton's  1000-acre  farm, 
known  as  Ellerslie,  at  Rhinecliff-on-Hudson,  New  York.  On  this 
farm  he  built  the  largest  dairy  barn  in  the  world.  Mr.  Cottrell 
was  called  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  the  Kansas  State 
Agricultural  College  in  1897  and  brought  with  him  the  new 
methods  of  the  New  York  dairy  industry,  which  he  introduced  in 
Kansas  by  organizing  at  once  the  short  dairy  course — a  course 
which  since  that  time  has  attracted  hundreds  of  students  to  Man- 


132 


KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


hattan  and  without  which  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  organ- 
ize the  creameries  and  skimming  stations  now  found  all  over  the 
State. 

In  the  spring  of  1902  Professor  Cottrell  resigned  to  take 
charge  of  the  agricultural  operations  of  the  Ruskin  Cooperative 
Association  at  Trenton,  Mo.,  a  socialistic  concern  of  immense  size 


<&>* 


Prof.  Henry  M   Cottrell. 


started  by  Ex-Regent  Carl  Vrooman,  formerly  of  Great  Bend, 
Kan.  Ex-President  Will  was  engaged  by  the  same  aggregation 
to  organize  a  socialistic  college.  Their  plans  seemed  to  work  out 
all  right  for  a  season,  but  collapsed  a  year  later  for  lack  of  cohe- 
sion of  the  40,000  associated  parties.  From  here  Professor  Cot- 
trell went  to  Colorado  Agricultural  College  to  organize  and  con- 
duct a  farmers'  institute  department,  in  which  work  he  was  highly 
successful.  The  professor  is  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  the 
planting  of  alfalfa.  He  did  more  for  the  propagation  of  this  new 
plant  in  the  West  than  any  other  man  living.  While  at  Manhattan 
he  talked  and  preached  alfalfa  from  county  to  county  and  almost 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L88 

from  farm  to  farm.  He  had  a  way  of  telling  lads  and  stories 
about  alfalfa  that  enthused  and  converted.  Thousands  of  his 
hearers  went  home  from  the  picnic  institutes,  which  he  organized 
all  over  the  State,  determined  to  give  the  wonderful  protein  plant 
an  extended  trial. 

PROF.    HELEN   CAMPBELL. 

Mrs.  Helen  Campbell  was  born  in  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  and  her 
maiden  name  was  Helen  Stuart.  Her  father  descended  from  clan 
Stuart,  of  bonnie  Scotland.  As  a  young  girl  she  became  a  con- 
tributor to  various  periodicals  for  young  people.  The  next  step 
was  writing  whole  books  of  child  stories.  Eight  of  these  followed 
one  another  rapidly  and  several  of  them,  like  "His  Grandmother" 
and  "Six  Sinners,"  were  published  in  numerous  editions. 

Meantime  Helen  Stuart  had  become  Mrs.  Campbell.  Her  hus- 
band was  an  army  surgeon.  With  him  from  post  to  post,  if  not 
from  pillar  to  post,  army  life  fashion,  wandered  Mrs.  Campbell, 
camping,  not  really  living,  now  here,  now  there,  crisscrossing 
North  America  over  and  over  again.  She  was  sometimes  in 
places  where  no  white  woman  had  been  before.  But  all  the  time 
the  quick  eye  and  alert  brain  of  the  story  teller  were  taking  notes 
and  studying  the  relations  of  facts. 

One  night  Helen  Campbell  visited  the  famous  "Jerry  Mc- 
Auley's  mission"  in  New  York  city.  "That  night  a  champion  for 
the  wage  earner  was  made."  Misery  such  as  was  uncovered  to 
her  mind  at  Jerry  McAuley's  mission  was  something  she  had 
never  known  of  before.  She  could  not  get  away  from  it.  She 
went  and  lived  in  the  midst  of  it  for  some  time,  studying  con- 
ditions and  means  of  relieving  them.  The  child  stories  were  in- 
terrupted. Henceforth  Helen  Campbell  was  to  be  a  sociological 
writer  and  worker.  After  dwelling  among  the  poverty  stricken, 
the  ignorant  and  the  helpless — helpless  because  ignorant — she 
wrote  a  monograph  on  the  "Problem  of  the  Poor."  A  novel, 
"Mrs.  Herndon's  Income,"  quickly  followed  this.  It,  too,  dealt 
with  the  problem  of  the  poor.  The  editor  of  a  leading  New  York 
newspaper  read  the  book.  He  sent  for  Mrs.  Campbell  and  asked 
her  to  write  a  series  of  letters  for  his  journal  on  the  condition  of 
the  poor  and  how  to  alleviate  it.  The  result  was  the  appearance 
of  a  remarkable  set  of  papers  called  "Prisoners  of  Poverty."  A 
yet  wider  field  opened  for  the  author,  and  she  went  to  Europe  and 
wrote  another  set,  "Prisoners  of  Poverty  Abroad."  During  that 
trip  she  investigated,  especially,  the  situation  among  the  hapless 
women  wage  earners  of  the  old  world.     This  was  in  1889. 

After  her  return  from  abroad  she  continued  writing  novels  and 


134  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

essays.  In  1893  she  read  a  paper  at  the  Chicago  world's  labor 
congress.  Thereupon  Prof.  Richard  T.  Ely  wrote  her  to  come  to 
the  University  of  Wisconsin  as  special  lecturer.  This  she  did, 
having  the  post  of  assistant  professor  in  the  department  of  eco- 
nomics. She  was  also  continually  studying,  mastering  details 
and  statistics.  Naturally,  being  a  woman,  household  economics 
claimed  her  attention.     She  wrote,  studied,  and  experimented. 


Prof.  Helen  Campbell. 

"One  must  marry  one's  economic  theory  to  experience  before  it 
can  be  of  any  value,"  she  remarks.  Mrs.  Campbell  has  been 
called  the  mother  of  scientific  household  economics,  which  she  has 
studied  in  both  Europe  and  America. 

Mrs.  Campbell's  book  "Household  Economics"  was  published 
in  1896.  It  is  full  of  fact,  science  and  practical  instruction,  the 
result  of  observation  and  experiences  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlan- 
tic. One  of  the  foreign  notes  is  this :  "There  are  towns  in  Holland 
where  even  the  stables  are  scrubbed  daily,  and  a  wandering  fly  or 
a  particle  of  dust  is  attacked  with  passionate  zeal.  Yet  indoors 
every  principle  of  personal  hygiene  is  violated  at  every  turn. "  In 
the  preparation  of  the  volume  "Household  Economics,"  Mrs. 
Campbell  received  valuable  aid  from  her  friend,  Charlotte  Perkins 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  135 

Gilman.    The  two  wrought  together  Cor  a  time  in  Chicago  in  con 
junction  with  Jane  Addatns,  of  Hull  House. 

In  1897  Mrs.  Campbell  was  elected  professor  of  domestic  sci 
ence  in  the  Agricultural  College  of  Kansas,  but  she  soon  found 
that  the  large  classes  and  the  exacting  daily  program  would  give 
her  but  little  time  to  devote  to  her  literary  work.  The  peculiar 
political  conditions  were  distasteful  to  her,  and  there  were  serious 
objections  made  by  her  students  and  their  mothers  about  some  of 
her  teachings.  This  resulted  in  her  resignation  in  the  following 
year.  There  is  no  doubt  that  she  was  a  brilliant  member  of  the 
College  Faculty  and  that  in  another  period  of  the  history  of  the 
institution  she  would  have  been  better  appreciated. 

PROF.  A.  EMCH. 

Prof.  Arnold  Emch,  M.S.,  Ph.D.,  who  was  called  in  the  spring 
of  1898  by  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  to  the  newly  cre- 
ated chair  of  linear  mathematics,  is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  a 
graduate  of  the  Cantonal  College  at  Solothurn,  and  an  alumnus  of 
the  department  of  pure  mathematics  of  the  University  of  Zurich, 
Switzerland.  In  1894,  soon  after  his  graduation,  he  "went  west," 
came  to  Manhattan,  and  accepted  the  position  of  assistant  in  the 
Department  of  Industrial  Arfc.  Here  he  was  given  the  degree  of 
M.S.  In  the  following  year  he  was  elected  professor  of  graphics 
in  the  State  University  of  Kansas,  which  position  he  held  until 
February,  1897,  when  he  followed  an  unexpected  call  to  the  chair 
of  mathematics  at  the  polytechnic  school  at  Biel,  Switzerland, 
where,  not  finding  favorable  conditions  for  further  growth,  he 
stayed  but  one  year.  In  1895  he  received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  of 
the  Kansas  State  University — the  first  degree  of  the  kind  given 
by  any  institution  in  the  State. 

Like  the  other  professors  whose  biographies  are  found  in  this 
chapter,  Doctor  Emch  lost  his  chair  in  the  reorganization  of  1899, 
and  soon  after  was  elected  associate  professor  of  mathematics  in 
the  State  University  of  Colorado,  where  he  remained  till  1906, 
when  he  received  a  call  by  his  first  alma  mater  at  Solothurn.  His 
father  having  died  that  spring  and  the  paternal  estate  being  in 
such  condition  as  to  demand  his  temporary  return,  he  accepted 
the  position,  intending  to  come  back  to  America  should  there  be  a 
chance. 

Doctor  Emch  is  a  man  of  rare  scientific  attainments.  He 
speaks  German,  French,  Italian  and  English  with  almost  equal 
fluency,  and  has  taught  mathematics  in  all  of  them.  Though  but 
thirty -five  years  of  age,  he  has  already  made  himself  a  name  as 


136  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

an  original  investigator  among  the  mathematicians  of  this  country 
and  Europe.  Of  his  original  publications  may  be  named  a  mono- 
graph on  "  Catacaustics, "  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Kansas  Uni- 
versity Quarterly  on  the  "Involutory  Transformation  of  the 
Straight  Line,"  an  article  in  the  Mathematical  Monthly  on  "A 
Special  Complex  of  the  Second  Degree  and  its  Relation  to  the 
Pencils  of  Circles,"  a  pamphlet  of  thirty- five  pages  on  "Projective 
Groups  of  Perspective  Collineations  in  the  Plane,"  a  267-page  text- 
book on  "Projective  Geometry"  (published  by  John  Wiley  &  Sons, 
New  York),  and  several  works  published  in  Switzerland.  In  1904 
he  read  a  paper  on  mathematical  research  at  the  World's  Mathe- 
matical Congress  at  the  World's  Pair  in  St.  Louis,  and  in  1908  he 
was  sent  by  the  Swiss  government,  at  their  expense,  as  a  delegate 
to  the  World's  Mathematical  Congress  in  Rome,  Italy,  where  he 
read  a  dissertation  on  mathematics,  written  in  Italian. 

Dortor  Emch's  endorsements,  when  his  friends  applied  for  the 
position  at  this  College,  were  of  the  strongest  kind,  though  he  had 
no  knowledge  that  his  name  would  be  presented  to  the  Board. 
One  of  them  was  a  clipping  from  the  Kansas  University  Weekly,  in 
which,  at  the  time  of  the  doctor's  departure  for  Biel,  Professor 
Newson,  of  the  chair  of  mathematics,  complimented  him  as  follows1 

"In  the  departure  of  Dr.  Arnold  Emch  the  University  of  Kan- 
sas loses  one  of  its  most  promising  young  instructors.  The  public 
is  not  generally  aware  of  the  mathematical  ability  and  activity  of 
this  remarkable  young  man.  When  he  applied  for  admission  to 
the  university  two  and  a  half  years  ago  as  a  candidate  for  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  he  made  the  statement  that  he  was 
prepared  to  conduct  any  of  the  advanced  courses  in  mathematics 
offered  in  the  catalogue.  This  sounded  like  a  rash  statement, 
coming  from  a  man  of  twenty-three,  but  the  writer  soon  found 
upon  acquaintance  with  him  that  his  claim  was  less  than  the  truth. 

"His  mathematical  ability  rises  nearly  to  the  level  of  genius. 
Educated  at  the  University  of  Zurich,  Switzerland,  he  readily 
absorbed  the  lectures  of  such  masters  of  geometry  and  analysis 
as  Fiedler,  Frobenius,  Hurwitz,  Schottky,  and  others.  In  certain 
lines  of  work,  such  as  synthetic  and  descriptive  geometry  and 
analytical  and  graphical  statics,  Zurich  is  without  a  rival  among 
the  universities  of  the  world.  Thus,  favored  by  nature  and  edu- 
cational advantages,  Doctor  Emch  is  prepared  to  do  a  very  high 
grade  of  work.  There  are  less  than  half  a  dozen  men  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic  who  can  show  better  equipment  than  he  for  certain 
lines  of  work.     It  is  very  much  to  be  regretted  that  this  university 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


i:r 


is  not  yet  able  to  offer  to  its  si  udents  advanced  courses  in  I  he  sub 
jects  which  Doctor  Emch  is  s<>  well  equipped  to  teach. 

"During  his  stay  at  this  university  lie  has  turned  his  attention 
more  to  pure  mathematics.  During  the  present  term  he  has  con 
ducted,  outside  of  his  required  duties  and  for  the  pure  love  of  it, 
the  first  course  in  theory  of  functions  ever  given  in  the  University 
of  Kansas.  His  lectures  were  heard  by  a  large  class  of  our  stu- 
dents. He  has  published  eight  papers  on  mathematical  topics 
since  coming  to  Lawrence,  one  of  these  being  his  doctor's  disser- 
tation. He  is  now  well  launched  upon  the  sea  of  mathematical 
discovery,  and  is  rapidly  producing  original  work  of  a  high  grade. 
There  are  few  men  of  twenty-five  either  in  this  country  or  in 
Europe  whose  promise  and  performance  can  measure  up  to  his ; 
there  may  be  others,  but  the  writer  does  not  know  of  his  equal. 

"In  leaving  America  for  Switzerland  he  is  throwing  himself 
into  the  stream  of  Old  World  scientific  progress  where  the  compe- 
tition for  recognition  and  position  is  much  more  severe  than  here; 
there  it  is  a  veritable  struggle  for  existence  and  only  the  fittest 
survive.  It  is  a  brave  thing  to  do,  and  but  few  would  care  to  take 
the  risks.  Barring  accidents  to  his  career,  it  is  safe  to  venture 
the  prediction  that  our  university's  first  Ph.  D.  will  do  her  honor 
in  the  learned  circles  of  Europe.  We  lose  a  young  man  of  brilliant 
promise,  but  Switzerland  gets  back  that  which  is  rightfully  her 
own." 


Agricultural  Hall. 


—10 


138  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


XIV. 

THE  REORGANIZATION  IN  1899  — GROWTH  FROM  1899  TO  1909 -NEW  COURSES  OF 
STUDY -INCREASE  OF  STUDENTS  — A  LARGER  FACULTY -IMPROVEMENTS 
FROM  1899  TO  1909-MORE  LAND  — THE  POISON  LABORATORY -THE  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
BUILDING  -PRES.  E.  R.  NICHOLS  — THE  FACULTY  IN  1909. 

THE  foregoing  pages  relate  how  the  political  pendulum  swang 
back  and  gave  the  Republican  party  once  more  the  responsi- 
bility of  managing  the  College.  One  of  the  first  steps  of  the  new 
Board  was  the  election  of  Prof.  Ernest  R.  Nichols,  of  the  chair  of 
physics,  as  temporary  president  of  the  Faculty  (see  biography  of 
E.  R.  Nichols).  It  was  their  intention  at  that  time  to  leave  the  pro- 
fessor in  his  chair,  where  he  had  been  highly  successful  for  nine 
years,  and  find  a  chief  executive  before  the  beginning  of  the  fall 
term,  but  no  satisfactory  candidate  appeared  who  was  willing  to 
accept  an  office  that  had  been  a  political  storm  center  for  many 
years.  Several  prominent  educators  were  interviewed  and  urged 
to  accept  the  position,  but  all  declined.  As  a  result,  Prof.  E.  R. 
Nichols,  considerably  against  his  inclination,  remained  in  charge 
of  the  executive  chair  and  a  year  later  was  made  President.  His 
place  in  the  Faculty  was  filled  by  calling  Prof.  Benj.  F.  Eyer, 
teacher  of  physical  science  in  the  Topeka  high  school  and  a  grad- 
uate (B.  S.  E.  E.)  of  the  Armour  Institute  of  Technology,  of  Chi- 
cago. The  much  troubled  chair  of  history  and  political  science 
was  given  to  Prof.  Carl  Evans  Boyd,  Ph.  D.,  who  resigned  a  year 
later.  It  was  then  occupied  by  Prof.  Chas.  E.  Goodell  and  still 
later  by  Prof.  R.  R.  Price.  In  1905  the  work  was  divided  and 
Prof.  Julius  E.  Kammeyer  was  given  the  economics  in  addition  to 
his  work  in  public  speaking. 

The  new  Board  also  made  some  changes  in  the  courses  of  study. 
The  nine  extra  terms  of  history,  civics  and  economics  which  the 
Populists  had  forced  into  the  curriculum  were  promptly  ex- 
purged,  the  work  of  the  first-year  classes  was  made  uniform  in  all 
the  courses,  the  entrance  requirements  were  slightly  raised,  and 
the  distribution  of  studies  in  the  courses  was  altered.  The  work 
in  agriculture  and  chemistry  was  increased,  and  physical  culture 
was  added  to  the  work  of  the  girls  below  the  third  year.  Ar- 
rangements were  also  made  for  a  small  amount  of  elective  work  in 
the  general  science  course.  The  short  course  in  dairying  was 
maintained  and  similar  courses  in  domestic  science  and  in  agri- 
culture were  organized. 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L89 

The  College  bookstore  and  the  College  dining  hall  wciv  discon 
tinued,  though  the  students  petitioned  for  their  continuance. 
There  was  little  resistance,  however,  to  any  of  these  changes. 
The  Populist  fire  had  burned  out  and  the  Democratic  party  was 
badly  disorganized.  Manhattan  was  getting  tired  of  meddling 
with  the  details  of  the  administration.  The  Manhattan  Mercury 
"barked"  for  awhile  at  the  Board  and  at  President  Nichols,  but 
nobody  seemed  to  take  it  seriously,  the  Kansas  Farmer  offered 
many  criticisms  at  the  start,  but  it,  too,  gradually  subsided. 
Editor  Perkins,  of  the  Manhattan  Nationalist,  who  had  played  a 
prominent  part  in  the  trial  of  the  Populist  Regents,  asked  that 
the  College  printing-office  stop  the  printing  of  The  Students'  Herald 
and  all  other  pay  work  and  demanded  an  ukase  to  this  effect  of 
Governor  Stanley,  but  he  found  no  encouragement.  The  dis- 
charged professors  who  had  contracts  with  the  old  Board  for  an- 
other year  commenced  legal  action  for  their  year's  pay.  Profes- 
sor Ward's  suit  was  singled  out  as  a  test  case,  but  two  years 
later  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  handed  down  a  decision  stating 
that  the  board  of  regents  of  a  state  educational  institution  had 
practically  the  right  to  discharge  any  professor  at  any  time,  and 
that  no  contract  of  this  character  could  be  binding.  As  a  result 
of  the  decision  the  other  suits  were  never  brought. 

GROWTH  FROM  1899  TO  1909.     NEW  COURSES  OP  STUDY. 

This  last  decade  was  a  period  of  intense  growth  and  progress. 
The  farmers  were  prosperous,  real  estate  values  increased  rap- 
idly, and  the  legislature  made  more  ample  appropriations.  The 
political  disturbances  of  the  Populist  period  had  advertised  the 
College  and  the  students  came  to  Manhattan  in  constantly  increas- 
ing numbers.  Even  the  further  raising,  in  1903,  1904,  and  1908, 
of  the  entrance  requirements,  did  not  check  the  swelling  stream 
of  young  men  and  young  women  who  came  to  the  great  technical 
school  of  Kansas  to  get  the  practical  and  scientific  education 
which  the  twentieth  century  seemed  to  imperatively  demand.  In 
1900  the  College  organized  a  course  in  electrical  engineering  and 
placed  its  professional  work  under  Prof.  B.  P.  Eyer,  of  the 
Department  of  Physics — a  course  that  became  popular  at  once 
and  attracted  students  from  all  parts  of  the  West.  In  1904  Prof. 
J.  D.  Walters  was  authorized  to  organize  a  four-years  course  in 
architecture — a  course  that  has  been  equally  successful  from  the 
start.  In  the  following  year  a  four-years  course  in  veterinary 
science  was  organized,  and  Dr.  Francis  S.  Schoenleber,  M.  S.  A. 
(Iowa  Agricultural  College),  D.  V.  S.  (Chicago  Veterinary  College), 


140  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

was  called  to  take  charge  of  its  professional  work.  This  course, 
too,  became  popular  at  once  and  attracted  students  from  all  parts 
of  the  State,  and  the  wisdom  of  organizing  it  has  already  been 
demonstrated  in  the  work  done  and  the  qualification  of  the  gradu- 
ates, and  in  the  fact  that  the  legislature  of  1907  appropriated 
$70,000  for  a  new  veterinary  science  building  which  became  ready 
for  occupancy  in  September,  1908. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  the  Board  authorized  the  further  organi- 
zation of  half  a  dozen  four-years  courses;  namely,  a  course  in  horti- 


The  Dairy  Barn. 

culture  and  forestry,  a  course  in  animal  husbandry,  a  course  in 
dairy  husbandry,  a  course  in  poultry  husbandry,  a  course  in  civil 
engineering,  and  a  course  in  printing.  At  the  same  time  the 
entrance  requirements  were  raised  so  as  to  include  all  of  the 
mathematical  and  science  work  usually  taught  in  the  best  high 
schools  of  the  State  (excluding  practically  only  the  work  in  Latin 
and  German  of  the  full  high  school  work).  The  courses  were 
also  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  purely  professional  fifth 
year,  at  the  end  of  which  the  graduate  will  be  entitled  to  a  pro- 
fessional B.  Sc.  degree. 

The  necessity  of  supplying  the  high  schools  of  the  State  with 
trained  teachers  of  domestic  science  induced  the  College  in  1906 
to  organize  an  annual  summer  course  for  teachers,  a  course  that 
opens  in  May  and  continues  for  ten  weeks.     In  this  teachers' 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


I  II 


course  attention  is  given  to  the  theory  of  cookery,  composition, 
preparation,  and  digestibility  of  foods,  and  also  to  the  theory  of 
teaching  both  cookery  and  sewing.  Practice  Is  provided  lor  in 
laboratory,  kitchen,  and  sewing  room,  and  Lectures  and  recitations 
are  made  to  include  everything  necessary  to  the  training  of 
teachers  for  this  important  work.  The  attendance  of  teachers 
has  been  increasing  every  year,  but  the  demand  for  teachers  of 
domestic  science  and  art  is  still  greater  than  the  supply.  The 
term  opens  after  many  village  and  town  schools  close,  and  makes 


Dairy  Hall. 


it  possible  for  teachers  to  take  it  and  be  prepared  for  their  work 
in  the  fall. 

In  the  summer,  fall  and  winter  of  1908-'09  the  College  was  in- 
volved in  a  serious  controversy  with  the  State  University  over  the 
"proper  sphere"  of  the  two  institutions.  The  State  University 
had  tried  hard  during  the  early  seventies  to  obtain  State  legisla- 
tion that  would  remove  the  College  to  Lawrence  and  combine  it 
with  the  university,  but,  through  the  political  influence  of  Presi- 
dents Denison  and  Anderson,  Ex- Governor  Green,  and  other  citi- 
zens of  Manhattan,  all  attempts  had-  proved  unsuccessful.  In 
the  spring  of  1908  the  efforts  of  "Lawrence"  to  absorb  the  College 
were  renewed,  and  found  some  encouragement  in  the  attitude  of 
Governor  Hoch,  Secretary  Coburn,  of  the  State  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  others.     This  time  the  plan  did  not  involve  the  removal 


142  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

the  whole  "plant,"  but  called  for  the  abolishing  of  the  organized 
courses  in  engineering,  and  the  consolidation  of  the  two  institu- 
tions under  one  board  of  regents.  Similar  efforts  were  made 
simultaneously  in  several  other  states  that  had  separate  land- 
grant  colleges.  Owing  to  the  very  decided  stand  taken  by  the 
students,  alumni,  and  friends  of  the  College,  the  plans  of  the  Uni- 
versity failed  when  it  reached  the  State  legislature.  A  fuller  ac- 
count of  the  "war"  will  be  found  in  another  chapter. 

EXPERIMENT    STATION   AND   FARMERS'    INSTITUTES. 

The  Nichols  period  of  the  College  witnessed  also  a  rapid  devel- 
opment of  the  work  of  the  Experiment  Station  Department  and 
the  Farmers'  Institute  Department.  The  former  greatly  increased 
its  efficiency  through  the  purchase  of  more  land  adjoining  the  Col- 
lege farm  on  the  north,  where  about  100  acres  were  purchased  in 
1904,  the  addition  of  3600  acres  of  land  in  Ellis  county  in  1901,  and 
of  240  acres  in  Ford  county  in  1900.  The  United  States  govern- 
ment increased  its  annual  appropriations  for  the  Experiment  Sta- 
tion by  passing  the  so-called  Adams  Act  in  1906,  which  added 
$5000  to  the  annual  income  and  stipulated  that  the  amount  should 
be  increased  each  year  by  $2000  until  the  total  reaches  $15,000. 
A  fuller  account  of  the  development  and  growth  of  the  Station  will 
be  found  in  chapter  XV. 

In  1899  an  impetus  was  given  to  the  farmers'  institute  work  by 
the  appropriation  by  the  State  legislature  of  $2000  per  year  for 
the  ensuing  biennial  period,  an  appropriation  which  was  repeated 
three  times.  In  1903  a  law  was  passed  making  it  the  duty  of  each 
county  having  a  county  farmers'  institute  organization  to  appro- 
priate fifty  dollars  annually  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  it  in 
meeting  the  expenses,  and  in  1909  the  legislature  further  author- 
ized the  counties  to  add  fifteen  dollars  to  the  fifty  dollars  contribu- 
tion, for  each  local  institute  held  in  the  county.  The  former  appro- 
priation goes  to  the  county  organization,  while  the  latter  is  for  the 
local  institute.  Since  1904  the  institute  department  has  been 
under  the  care  of  an  institute  superintendent  (Mr.  J.  H.  Miller), 
who  gives  all  of  his  time  to  the  work.  There  are  organized  in 
the  State  at  this  writing,  in  the  spring  of  1909,  103  county  insti- 
tutes and  141  local  institutes.  For  a  fuller  account  of  the  growth 
of  the  farmers'  institute  and  College  extension  work  see  chapter 
XVI. 

PHENOMENAL  INCREASE  OF   STUDENTS. 

The  attendance  grew  phenomenally,  increasing  at  an  average 
rate  of  nearly  150  students  per  annum.     The  graduating  classes, 


KANSAS    STATE    AGRICULTURAL   G0LLEG1 


I  i:; 


too,  increased  from  .year  to  year.  The  following  table  gives  the 
record  of  attendance  from  l^7(.)  to  L908.  That  for  L909  is  not 
available  at  this  writing  (April,  L909),  but  it  will  probably  reach 
the  2300  mark: 


College 
Year. 

a 

fi 

2  2. 
co  co 
•   a 
:   a 

■     CO 

§1 
o 

a 
s. 

> 

■e 
c3 

a 
e* 

o° 

CO 

d 

CO 

2. 

i 

P 

p 

O 

73 
S 
& 

"J 

CD 

C/! 

63* 

B 

5 

"3 

3 

ET 

3 

p 
a 

09 

o 
o 

o 
g 

0 
CD 

B 
3 

5' 

09 

a 
o 

7 

is 
•J. 

i 

CD 

Q 

G 

5 

a> 
& 

5" 

CD 

t 

Q 

D. 

p 

s 

G. 

1878-79 

1 

1 

6 
5 
4 

9 

2 

1 

89 
166 

178 
227 
241 
255 
271- 
273 
303 
305 
266 
307 
343 
336 
339 
275 
276 
353 
321 
316 
306 
376 
348 
396 
471 
403 
289 
373 
411 
450 

89 
61 
48 
50 
60 
92 
71 
91 
100 
92 
103 
105 
135 
139 
110 
141 
108 
121 
163 
174 
177 
163 
183 
206 
229 
206 
198 
214 
269 
357 

16 
35 
24 
19 
30 
26 
36 
35 
44 
46 
41 
63 
50 
62 
66 
72 
89 
67 
69 
77 
92 
109 
80 
120 
141 
161 
122 
145 
149 

12 
11 
9 
11 
12 
18 
16 
24 
24 
27 
28 
28 
53 
37 
43 
42 
64 
71 
62 
82 
65 
69 
74 
65 
86 
114 
117 
110 
133 
148 

2 
2 

"i 

5 
4 

10 
2 
7 
10 
12 
10 
29 
25 
30 
32 
46 
57 
40 
27 
40 
32 
24 
20 
26 
30 
24 
26 

'io' 

21 
22 

52 
59 
57 
36 
43 
64 
88 
82 

207 
276 
267 
312 
347 
395 
401 
428 
481 
472 
445 
514 
593 
584 
587 
555 
572 
647 
734 
803 
870 
1094 
1321 
1396 
1574 
1605 
1462 
1690 
1937 
2192 

9 

1879-80 

1880-81 

g 

1881-82 

9 

1882-83 

12 

1883-84 

17 

1884-85 

14 

1885-86 

21 

1886-87 

21 

1887-88 

22 

1888-89 

1889-90 

.... 

25 
27 

1890-91.... 

52 

1891-92.. 

35 

39 

1892-93..  . 

1893-94..  . 

39 
57 

1894-95..  . 

5 
3 
6 
15 
40 
32 
23 
19 
36 
33 
30 
46 
48 

1895-96..  .  . 

66 
55 
69 
53 

58 
60 

1896-97.... 

67 
77 
110 
162 
318 
298 
342 
443 
500 
598 
144 
134 

"sii" 

528 

1897-98.. 

6 
26 
57 
72 
66 
38 
16 
24 
28 
33 

9 
35 
50 
79 

87 
78 
72 
12 

1898-99.. 

1899-1900 

1900-01 

24 
47 
41 
63 
51 
88 
92 
134 
188 

47 
109 
125 
123 
122 

99 
118 
179 

1901-02 

52 

1902-03 

1903-04 

102 

1904-05 

107 

1905-06 

96 

1906-07 

118 

1907-08 

173 

26 

42 

202 

115 

This  table  shows  not  only  the  growth  of  the  total  attendance 
and  of  the  separate  classes  of  the  regular  four-year  courses,  but 
gives  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the  three  short  courses,  the 
apprentice  course  in  shop  work  which  was  discontinued  in  1905, 
and  the  date  of  the  organization  of  the  sub-freshman  work.  There 
were  limited  classes  of  sub-freshmen  before  1906-'07,  but  they 
were  not  listed  separately  from  the  freshmen. 

A   LARGE   FACULTY. 

The  increase  of  students,  the  raising  of  the  entrance  require- 
ments and  the  multiplication  of  the  courses  made  necessary  a  cor- 
responding increase  of  the  board  of  instruction.  In  chapter  XVIII 
will  be  found  a  chronological  table  giving  the  appointments  and 
additions  of  professors,  associate  professors,  superintendents, 
and  librarians.  The  increase  of  teachers  was  especially  rapid  in 
the  Department  of  Agriculture,  which  gradually  became  divided 


144  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

into  five  departments,  namely:  Agronomy,  Animal  Husbandry, 
Dairying,  Veterinary  Science,  and  Farmers'  Institute,  each  segre- 
gation involving  the  establishment  of  one  or  more  additional  chairs 
and  the  appointment  of  a  number  of  assistants.  The  catalogue  of 
1908-'09  will  give  the  names,  titles  and  chairs  of  probably  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  officers  and  regular  employes,  exclusive  of  half  a 
hundred  student  assistants.     The  College  has  at  this  writing: 

Professors  and  heads  of  departments 27 

Assistant  professors , 17 

Instructors 12 

Foremen  and  assistants 61 

Custodian,  clerks,  and  other  officers 18 

Officers  and  employes  of  the  Experiment  Station,  not 

enumerated  above 10 

Total ...  145 

A  roster  of  the  board  of  instruction  of  1909  will  be  found  at  the 
end  of  this  chapter. 

IMPROVEMENTS  FROM  1899  TO  1909. 

The  totals  of  the  biennial  State  appropriations  which  the  Col- 
lege received  during  the  last  decade  are  given  in  chapter  III. 
They  amounted  to  over  two  million  dollars.  In  addition  to  these 
the  College  has  had  an  annual  income  from  various  other  sources 
of  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  main  part  of  this 
income  was  consumed  to  meet  the  rapidly  growing  current 
expenses — salaries,  payroll  of  employes,  supplies,  repairs,  books 
and  apparatus,  printing,  traveling  expenses,  etc.  A  considerable 
portion  of  the  appropriation  made  by  the  State  was  received  for 
erecting  the  needed  buildings  and  providing  the  needed  perma- 
nent improvements  of  the  grounds.  Following  is  a  synopsis  of 
these  items  together  with  the  dates: 

Buildings.  Year.  Cost. 

Agricultural  Hall 1900  $25,000 

Dairy  Barn 1900  6,000 

Shop  additions 1900  9,000 

Chemistry  and  Physics  Hall 1902  70,000 

Sewer  system 1901  3,000 

Water  system 1901  10,000 

Library  addition 1903  10,000 

Auditorium 1904  40,000 

Dairy  Hall 1904  15,000 

Shop   addition 1905  5,000 

Four  cattle  barns 1905  3,000 

Boiler  room  addition 1906  3,000 

Horticultural  Hall 1906  50,000 

Granary 1906  5,000 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L45 

Buildings  (oonl ,),  Year.  <  <»si 

Engine  room  addition l!»o7  3,000 

Domestic  Science  Ball L908  70,001) 

Veterinary  Science  lla.il L908  70,000 

Blacksmith  shop  addition L909  8,000 

Woodshop  addition L909  15,000 

Boiler  room  addition L909  15,01)0 

Mechanical  Engineering  I  Lai  I L909  35,000 

Gas  plant 15)09  6,000 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  total  expense,  including  the  heating  and 
plumbing,  of  these  buildings  amounts  to  considerably  more  than 
half  a  million  dollars,  while  the  building  repairs,  campus  improve- 
ments, roads  and  walks  have  cost  a  total  of  about  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  These  are  large  figures,  yet  the  College  has  un- 
doubtedly built  and  repaired  cheaper  than  other  State  institutions 
and  has  to-day  more  to  show  for  its  expended  funds. 

These  buildings  were  erected  in  the  stated  order,  after  sketches 
made  by  Pres.  E.  R.  Nichols.  The  Agricultural  Hall  and  the  Au- 
ditorium were  planned  by  Architects  Holland  and  Squires,  of 
Topeka;  the  Physical  Science  Hall  by  Architect  J.  G.  Haskell,  of 
Lawrence;  the  Dairy  Hall  and  the  Dairy  Barn  by  Prof.  J.  D. 
Walters,  and  the  Horticultural  Hall,  the  Domestic  Science  Hall, 
the  Veterinary  Science  Hall  and  the  new  Engineering  Hall  by 
State  Architect  John  P.  Stanton.  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters  superin- 
tended their  erection,  except  that  of  the  engineering  building, 
which  was  superintended  by  Prof.  E.  B.  McCormick.  The  new 
greenhouse  was  built  in  1908-'09  of  "ready  made"  materials 
bought  in  New  Jersey,  and  the  new  power-house,  with  its  tall 
chimney,  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1907  by  Contractor  Henry 
Bennett,  of  Topeka,  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters. 
In  1908  the  College  constructed  its  first  cement  walks  —  some  3000 
square  feet,  mostly  near  Anderson  Hall  and  the  new  Auditorium. 

In  the  winter  of  1909  the  Manhattan  Street  Railway  Company 
built  a  line  from  the  U.  P.  depot  to  the  College.  It  had  been 
their  plan  to  enter  the  campus  on  the  east  side  near  the  main  en- 
trance, but  the  Board  of  Regents  were  not  willing  to  grant  them 
the  privilege,  fearing  that  a  track  and  the  constantly  passing  cars 
might  interfere  with  the  aspect  of  the  landscape  and  possibly 
disturb  the  class  work. 

MORE  LAND. 

In  addition  to  these  buildings  and  improvements,  the  College 
added  during  this  decade  several  large  and  valuable  tracts  of 
land  to  its  inventory.  Some  of  this  land  was  obtained  through 
purchases  and  some  by  act  of  Congress.     There  were  added  in 


146  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1900 —  240  acres  in  Ford  county. 

1901 — 3600  acres  in  Ellis  county. 

1904 —  107  acres  in  Manhattan. 

1908 — 7684  acres  as  balance  of  endowment. 

In  the  winter  of  1909  the  legislature  appropriated  $35,000  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  additional  land  near  the  College  for  ex- 
perimental purposes,  stipulating  in  the  act  that  not  more  than 
$150  should  be  paid  per  acre.  At  the  April  meeting  the  Board 
purchased  two  very  fine  quarter-sections  of  improved  land  north- 
west of  the  College  which  added  nearly  320  acres  to  the  present 
farm  of  430  acres,   giving  the  College  a  total  of  about  750  acres. 

THE   POISON   LABORATORY. 

The  legislature  of  1901  provided  for  the  preparation  and  dis- 
tribution by  the  College  of  poison  for  the  destruction  of  prairie- 
dogs  and  pocket-gophers.  The  Board  placed  the  solution  of  the 
peculiar  problem  with  the  Department  of  Zoology  and  Entomology 
and  engaged  Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  as  expert  and  manager  of  the 
poison  laboratory.  ( See  biographical  sketch  in  Chapter  XI .)  An 
appropriation  of  $2000  per  year  was  provided  by  the  State  to 
carry  out  this  work.  During  the  first  three  or  four  years  the 
demand  for  the  poison  mixture  was  such  that  it  required  the  con- 
stant work  of  an  expert  to  prepare  and  ship  it.  Up  to  the  end  of 
1903  fully  1200  pounds  of  strychnine  and  over  half  a  ton  of  potas- 
sium cyanide  was  consumed  in  manufacturing  the  poison,  and 
from  600,000  acres  to  700,000  acres  of  land,  formerly  infested 
with  the  prairie-dog,  were  freed  from  the  pest.  Later  the  de- 
mand for  the  mixture  fell  off.  showing  that  the  efforts  had  been 
successful.  In  the  last  four  years  the  annual  sales  amounted  to 
about  1200  quarts  of  the  prairie-dog  poison  and  500  quarts  of  the 
pocket-gopher  mixture.  The  State  appropriation  was  withdrawn 
in  1903  and  Professor  Lantz  resigned  in  October,  1904,  to  accept 
the  position  of  expert  on  mammals  in  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  D.  C,  but  the  sale  of  the  mixtures  is  still 
brisk. 

The  Department  of  Zoology  has  published  a  number  of  bul- 
letins on  the  subject.  Prof.  D.  E.  Lantz  wrote  several  press  bul- 
letins on  the  habits  of  the  rodents  and  our  methods  of  destroying 
them.  His  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  129,  "The  Mammals 
of  Kansas,"  devoted  much  space  to  the  discussion  of  the  two 
pests.  In  February,  1908,  Instructor  Theo.  H.  Scheffer  pub- 
lished a  148-page  pamphlet  (Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  152) 
on  the  distribution,  habits,  natural  enemies  and  methods  of  de- 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  I  17 

structionof  the  pocket-gopher,  und  Later  a  press  bulletin  on  "  Des 

troying  Pocket*  lophers." 

THE    Y.   M.  C.  A.  BUILDING. 

Among  the  auxiliaries  added  to  the  College  daring  the  presi 
dency  of  E.  R.  Nichols  stands  prominently  the  erection  of  the 
Young*  Men's  Christian  Association  building.  The  movement  for 
a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building  was  publicly  inau- 
gurated May  22,  1904.  On  that  day  Mr.  E.  T.  Colton,  of  the  Inter- 
national Committee  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
made  an  eloquent  appeal  for  an  association  building  at  a  mass- 
meeting  of  the  young  men  of  the  College.  Nearly  $6000  was 
pledged  by  the  students  and  teachers,  and  by  the  close  of  the 
term  $3000  more  was  added.  The  average  student  gift  at  this 
time  was  about  $40.  During  the  next  year  $5700  more  was  sub- 
scribed by  the  students,  so  that  altogether  over  $11,000  was 
pledged  by  students  alone.  This  heroic  giving  was  not  being 
done  by  wealthy  students,  but  for  the  most  part  by  young  men 
earning  their  way  through  College.  Thirty-six  of  them  gave  $100 
apiece.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  amount  of  sacrifice  that  the 
students  put  into  this  movement. 

During  the  summer  of  1904  a  canvass  was  carried  on  among 
the  alumni,  who  also  responded  liberally.  In  the  fall,  invitations 
were  sent  out  to  the  business  men  of  the  city,  asking  them  to  a 
banquet  at  the  Hotel  Gillette.  Fifty-five  of  the  most  prominent 
business  men  of  Manhattan  responded.  H.  M.  Beardsley,  of 
Kansas  City,  was  present  and  made  an  address  concerning  the 
need  for  and  purpose  of  an  association  building.  A  deep  impres- 
sion was  made  by  his  excellent  talk,  and  about  $2500  was  added 
to  the  growing  fund. 

On  February  17,  1905,  an  offer  of  $1000  was  made  through  the 
International  Committee  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  by  an  unknown  phil- 
anthropist in  the  East,  provided  the  association  could  raise  $50.00 
more  in  three  months.  This  offer  stimulated  giving  to  a  great 
extent  and  the  $5000  was  raised. 

The  amount  subscribed  at  the  time  when  the  building  was 
started  was  about  $28,000,  and  its  total  cost,  when  it  was  finished 
in  the  spring  of  1908,  was  nearly  $35,000. 

It  is  but  justice  to  state  that  much  credit  for  the  success  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  in  erecting  this  magnificent 
home  is  due  to  Secy.  Willis  W.  McLean  of  the  organization,  who 
devoted  several  years  to  the  realization  of  the  project,  and  to  Pres. 
E.  R.  Nichols,  who  was  the  financial  agent  of  the  enterprise. 


148  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

PRES.  ERNEST  R.  NICHOLS. 

The  election  in  1900  of  Prof.  Ernest  R.  Nichols  to  the  presidency 
of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  was  an  acknowledgement 
of  his  able  and  faithful  services  as  acting  president.  No  other  se- 
lection could  have  been  made  that  would  have  been  received  so 


well  by  the  students,  the  Faculty,  and  the  friends  of  the  institu- 
tion. This  was  all  the  more  the  case  because  Professor  Nichols 
never  sought  the  honor.  He  had  reluctantly  accepted  the  appoint- 
ment as  acting  president  of  the  College,  with  the  understanding 
that  he  would  be  permitted  to  leave  the  executive  office  for  his 
physical  laboratory  as  soon  as  a  capable  man  could  be  found,  but 
his  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  institution  were  so  satisfac- 
tory that  the  Board  as  well  as  the  Faculty  began  to  look  upon  him 


KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  141) 

as  the  right  man  in  the  place,  and  urged  him  to  accept  the  respon- 
sible position. 

President  Nichols  was  born  at  Farmington,  Conn.,  and  raised 
on  a  farm  in  northeastern  Iowa,  where  he  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  country  schools.  He  taught  in  district  schools 
one  year  and  graduated  from  the  Iowa  State  Normal,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Didactics  in  1882.  He  then  became 
principal  of  Charles  City  (Iowa)  high  school  in  1882-3  and  superin- 
tendent of  Nashua  (Iowa)  public  schools  in  1883-4.  After  teach- 
ing for  several  years  he  entered  Iowa  State  University,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1887  and  Master  of  Arts  in 
1890.  In  1887- '90  he  was  assistant  professor  of  mathematics  in 
Iowa  State  University.  In  1888  he  was  married  to  Miss  Marguer- 
ite Rae,  of  Chicago,  a  graduate  of  the  Iowa  State  Normal.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  professor  of  physics,  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College.  In  1894  he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence  from 
June,  1894,  to  September,  1895,  to  pursue  graduate  work  in  phys- 
ics and  mathematics  at  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  then  re- 
entered his  former  chair  at  the  College. 

President  Nichols  had  passed  step  by  step  through  every 
phase  of  public  education  and  had  risen  from  a  farmer  boy  to 
president  of  a  technical  college  of  high  rank.  He  was'  a  man  of 
experience,  character,  and  tact,  a  man  that  had  the  full  confidence 
of  the  students  and  his  collaborators,  a  progressive  man  and  a 
scholar.  The  professor  placed  his  resignation  into  the  hands  of  the 
Board  at  their  March  meeting  in  1908,  requesting  that  they  elect 
a  successor  before  July,  '09.  The  reasons  for  his  retirement  from 
the  executive  chair  were  not  apparent  to  the  outsider.  There  had 
been  some  disturbances  among  the  students,  but  the  trouble  was 
anything  but  serious.  There  had  been  some  complaints  that  he 
was  unfriendly  toward  certain  departments,  but  no  definite 
charges  had  ever  been  made.  It  was  urged  in  some  quarters  that 
the  College  needed  an  orator  in  its  executive  chair,  a  spellbinder 
who  was  "ready  to  speak"  at  all  times  and  all  occasions,  though  he 
had  never  failed  to  express  his  opinion  positively  and  forcefully 
when  conditions  demanded  it. 

Professor  Nichols  possessed  many  of  the  elements  of  the  ideal 
college  president,  and  in  one  he  surpassed  all  of  his  predecessors: 
he  was  a  scientist  and  could  appreciate  the  value  of  science  as  an 
educational  and  cultural  factor;  he  knew  how  to  obtain  scientific 
results  by  experiment;  he  could  distinguish  valuable  experi- 
mental work  in  the  field  and  laboratory  from  mere  tinkering  and 
sham  work,  and  he  was  an  uncompromising  enemy  of  the  latter. 


150  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

His  directing  influence  during  the  period  of  growth  of  the  College 
from  a  scientific  high  school  to  a  real  technical  institution  of  high 
rank  was  invaluable  and  will  be  felt  for  years  to  come.  He  was  a 
financier  who  never  lost  sight  of  the  available  resources  of  the  Col- 
lege, and  the  first  president  in  the  history  of  the  institution  who 
closed  the  accounts  at  the  end  of  the  fiscal  year  without  a  deficit. 
When  President  Denison  resigned  the  College  must  have  been  in 
debt  to  the  amount  of  over  $30,000;  at  the  end  of  President  Ander- 
son's regime  there  was  a  floating  debt  of  some  $6000.  An  equal 
deficit  was  inherited  by  President  Will,  and  he  increased  it  to 
nearly  $15,000.  President  Nichols  never  permitted  an  actual 
deficit  on  his  books.  This  firm  stand  against  making  expendi- 
tures at  times  when  there  was  low  ebb  in  the  treasury  was  the 
cause  of  numerous  disagreements  with  the  heads  of  some  of  the 
departments,  but  he  remained  firm  and  saved  the  College  the 
trouble  and  humiliation  of  appealing  to  the  legislature  for  an 
appropriation  for  covering  existing  deficits. 

The  decade  from  1899  to  1909,  during  which  Pres.  E.  R.  Nichols 
stood  at  the  helm  of  the  College,  was  one  of  intense  growth,  con- 
stant shifting  of  interests  and  readjustment  of  means.  When  he 
came  to  Manhattan  nineteen  years  ago  as  professor  of  physics  the 
institution  had  less  than  six  hundred  students;  when  he  became 
president  it  had  a  thousand,  and  when  he  resigned  it  had  way 
above  two  thousand.  He  raised  the  requirements  of  admission 
and  the  standards  of  graduation.  He  multiplied  the  courses  of 
study.  He  convinced  the  legislature  that  the  College  must  be 
supported  by  liberal  State  appropriations.  He  organized  the 
extension  work  on  a  large  scale,  erected  buildings,  bought  land, 
quelled  factions  among  the  Faculty  and  dissentions  among  the 
Board,  and  through  all  of  this  growth  and  changing  and  shifting 
he  was  the  same  steady  and  sturdy  pilot — not  verbose,  but  effect- 
ive— never  wavering,  but  always  keeping  in  sight  the  interests  of 
the  students  and  the  purpose  and  future  of  the  school. 
THE  FACULTY  IN  1909. 

In  the  spring  of  1909  the  Board  of  Instruction  of  the  College 
consisted  of  the  following  professors,  superintendents,  instruct- 
ors, assistants,  and  other  employes. 

Ernest  R.  Nichols,  A.  M.   (  University  of  Iowa  ) President 

Ed.  H.  Webster,  B.  S.  A.  (Iowa  State  Coll.)  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) 

Director  Experiment  Station 

John  D.  Walters,  D.  A.  (K.  S.  A.  C.).. Professor  of  Architecture  and  Drawing- 
Julius  T.  Willard,  D.  Sc.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  Vice-Director  Exp.  Station 

Benj.  L.  Remick,  Ph.  M.  (  Cornell  College) Professor  of  Mathematics 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  1  T>  1 

Benj.  P.  Eyer,  E.E.  (Armour  Inst,  of  Tech.). -Prof,  of  Electrical  Engineering 
Herbert  P.  Roberts,  A.  B.  (U.  of  K.),  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.)..  Professor  of  Botany 
William  A.  McKeever,  Ph.  M.  (Univ.  of  Chicago).  ..Professor  of  Philosophy 
Edmund  B.  McCormick,  S.  15.  (Mass.   Inst.  Tech.) 

Prof,  of  Mech.  Engineering",  Supt.  of  Shops 

Albert  Dickens,  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Professor  of  Horticulture,  Supt.  of  Grounds 

Clark  M.  Brink,  A.M.  (U.  of  R.),  Ph.D.  (Univ.  of  City  of  New  York).  .. 

Professor  of  Eng]  ish 

Albert  M.  TenEyck,  B.  Agr.  (Wisconsin) 

Professor  of  Agronomy,  Supt.  of  Farm 

Ralph  R.  Price,  A.  M.  (U.  of  K.) Professor  of  History  and  Civics 

Julius  E.  Kammeyer,  A.  M.  (Central  Wesley  an  College) 

Professor  of  Economics 

John  V.  Cortelyou,  A.M.  (Uni.  of  Neb.),  Ph.D.  (Heidelberg) 

Professor  of  German 

Olof  Valley,  B.  M.  (Chicago  Conservatory) Professor  of  Music 

F.  S.  Schoenleber,  D.  V.  S.  (Chicago  Vet.  College) 

Professor  of  Veterinary  Science 

Roland  J.  Kinzer,  B.  S.  A.  (Iowa  State  College) 

Professor  of  Animal  Husbandry 

Walter  E.  King,  M.  S.  (Cornell) Professor  of  Bacteriology 

Thomas  J.  Headlee,  Ph.  D .  ( Cornell) Professor  of  Entomology 

Chas.  H.  Boice,  First  Lieutenant  Seventh  Cavalry,  IT.  S.  A 

Professor  of  Military  Science 

John  C.  Kendall,  B.  S.  (N.  H.  A.  &  M.) Professor  of  Dairy  Husbandry 

John  O.  Hamilton,  B.  S.  (Chicago) Professor  of  Physics 

Mrs.  Mary  P.  VanZile  (K.  S.  A.  C.)  (Iowa  State  College) 

Professor  of  Domestic  Science 

Joshua  D.  Rickman Superintendent  of  Printing 

Miss  Marguerite  E.  Barbour  (Sargent  Nor.  Sch.  Phys.  Tr. ) 

Director  of  Physical  Training 

Miss  Antonetta  Becker  (Drexel) Superintendent  of  Domestic  Art 

Robert  J.  Barnett,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Principal  Preparatory  Department 

Miss  Gertrude  Barnes Librarian 

John  H.  Miller,  A.  M Superintendent  Farmers'  Institutes 

Miss  Lorena  E.  demons,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Secretary 

William  R.  Lewis Custodian 

Jacob  Lund,  M.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.).. Superintendent  Heat  and  Power  Department 
Andrey  A.  Potter,  S.  B.  (Mass.  Inst.  Tech.) 

Asst.  Professor  of  Mechanical  Engineering 

Robert  H.  Brown,  B.M.  (Kan.  Con.  of  Music),  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Music 

Benj.  R.  Ward,  A.  M.  (Harvard) Assistant  Professor  of  English 

Geo.  A.  Dean.  M.S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  Professor  of  Entomology 

George  F.  Freeman,  B.  S.  (Ala.  Polytech.  Inst. ) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Botany 

Geo.  C.  Wheeler,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Animal  Husbandry 

William  H.  Andrews,  A.  B.  (Univ.  of  Chicago) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics 

Robert  E.  Eastman,  M.  S.  (Cornell  University) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Forestry 

Leland  E.  Call,  B.  S.  (Ohio  State  University). .  .Assistant  Professor  of  Soils 
L.  E.  Conrad,  M.  S.  (Lehigh) Assistant  Professor  of  Civil  Engineering 


152  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

K.  W.  Stouder,  D.  V.M.  (Iowa  State  College) 

Assistant  Professor  of  Veterinary  Science 

Miss  Ada  Rice,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Instructor  in  English 

Miss  Ella  Weeks,  A.  B.  (U.  of  K.) Instructor  in  Drawing- 
Miss  Daisy  Zeininger,  B.  A.  (Fairmount) Instructor  in  Mathematics 

Leonard  W.  Goss,  D.  V.  M.  (Ohio  State  University) : 

Instructor  in  Veterinary  Science 

Miss  Ula  M.  Dow,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Instructor  in  Domestic  Science 

Theo.  H.  Scheffer,  A.  M.  (Cornell  University) Instructor  in  Zoology 

Herbert  H.  King,  M.  A.  (Ewing  College) Instructor  in  Chemistry 

John  B.  Whelan,  M.  A.  (Nebraska) Instructor  in  Chemistry 

Louis  H.  Beall,  A.  B.  (Denison) Instructor  in  English 

Roy  A.  Seaton,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C). . .  .Instructor  in  Mechanical  Engineering 

William  L.  House Foreman  of  Carpenter  Shop 

Louis  Wabnitz Foreman  of  Machine  Shops 

Miss  InaE.  Holroyd,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) 

Assistant  in  Preparatory  Department 

Ambrose  E.  Ridenour,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Foreman  of  Foundry 

Miss  Emma  J.  Short Assistant  in  Preparatory  Department 

Miss  Ina  Cowles,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Domestic  Art 

Miss  Kate  Tinkey Assistant  Librarian 

Earl  N.  Rodell,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Printing 

M.  Francis  Ahearn,  B.  S.  (Mass.  Ag.  College) Assistant  in  Horticulture 

Miss  Gertrude  Stamp,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Domestic  Art 

M.  Sheldon  Brandt,  Ph.  B.  (Yale) ..  .Assistant  in  Architecture  and  Drawing 

Chas.  Yost Assistant  in  Heat  and  Power  Department 

Earle  B.  Milliard .- Foreman  of  Blacksmithing 

J.  T.  Parker Assistant  in  Woodwork 

J.  D.  Magee,  A.M.  (Chicago) Assistant  in  Mathematics 

E.  G.  Meinzer,  A.  B.  (Beloit) Assistant  in  German 

Miss  Florence  S.  Latimer,  B.  M.  (Ferry  Hall  Seminary),  Assistant  in  Music 
Miss  Marjorie  Russell  (Mechanics'  Institute),  Assistant  in  Domestic  Science 
Burton  Rogers,  D.  V.  M.  (Iowa  State  College) 

Assistant  in  Veterinary  Science 

Miss  Clara  Willis  (Framingham  Normal) Assistant  in  Domestic  Science 

C.  O.  Swanson,  M.  Agr.  (Minn.) Assistant  Chemist,  Experiment  Station 

Edw.  C.  Crowley,  Ph.  B.  (Yale) Assistant  in  Chemistry 

Hugh  Oliver Assistant  in  Heat  and  Power  Department 

Miss  Charlaine  Furley,  B.  A.  (Fairmount) Assistant  in  English 

Miss  Jessie  Reynolds,  A.  B.  (U.  of  K.),  Assistant  in  Preparatory  Department 
Miss  Mary  F.  Nesbit,  A.  B.  (Illinois  University).  .Assistant  in  Mathematics 

Miss  Annette  Leonard,  A.  B.  (U.  of  K. ). Assistant  in  English 

William  C.  Lane,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C).  ...Assistant  in  Electrical  Engineering- 
Miss  Flora  C.  Knight,  A.  B.  (Uni.  of  Wyoming) Assistant  in  English 

Miss  Grace  H.  Woodward  (Boston  School  of  D.  S.). .... .'.' 

, Assistant  in  Domestic  Science 

Miss  Nellie  Cave,  B.  M.  (Univ.  of  Nebr.),   (Chicago  Music  Coll.)... ... . 

Assistant  in  Music 

Miss  Margaret  Mack  (K.  S.  N.) .Assistant  in  Preparatory  Department 

Edwin  G.  Schafer,  B.  S.  (K.'  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Agronomy 

Orin  A.  Stevens,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Botany 

Miss  Mary  W.  Hancock  (Mechanics'  Inst. ) Assistant  in  Domestic  Art 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


L53 


s.  \Y.  McGarrah,  A.  M.  (Grove  City  College) Assistant  in  Mathematics 

Carl  G.  Elling,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Animal  Husbandry 

Kirk  H.  Logan,  l>.  S.  (U.  of  K.) Assistant  in  Physios 

C.  A.  Arthur  Utt,  l>.  S.  (Cornell  College). ., Assistant  in  Chemistry 

Miss  Florence  Warner,  A.  B.  (Illinois  University) .Assistant  Librarian 

Miss  Anna  Gordon,  A.  B.  (Iowa  ( Jollege) 

Assistant  in  I 'reparatory  I )epartment 

Miss  Bertha  M.  Johnston  (Simmons College),  Assistant  in  Domestic  Science 

Harrison  E.  Porter,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Mathematics 

E.  L.  Sieber,  A.  B.    (Indiana  University) Assistant  in  Chemistry 

C.  S.  Knight,  B.  S.  Agr.  (U.  of  Wis. ) Assistant  in  Agronomy 

Earle  Brintnall,  B.  S.  (Iowa  State  College). .  Assistant  in  Dairy  Husbandry 

J.  B.  Parker,  M.  A.  (Ohio  State  University) Assistant  in  Entomology 

Allen  G.  Philips,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C. ) Assistant  in  Poultry 

Miss  Gertrude  Cannon,  Bethany  Col.  and  Oberlin  Conservatory 

Assistant  in  Music 

Miss  Bertha  Bisby Assistant  in  Preparatory  Department 

Fred  M.  Hayes,  D.  V.  M.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Veterinary  Science 

L.  D.  Bushnell,  B.  S.  ( Wisconsin) Assistant  in  Bacteriology 

Miss  Bertha  Donaldson  (Chicago  University). . .  .Assistant  in  Domestic  Art 

Miss  Elizabeth  Putnam  (Chicago  Art  Institute) Assistant  in  Drawing 

L.  E.  Petty,  A.  B.  (Wabash  College) Assistant  in  Mathematics 

Jules  C.  Cunningham,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Horticulture 

Miss  Annie  E.  Lindsey  (Simmons  College). . .  .Assistant  in  Domestic  Science 

Miss  Amy  Allen,  B.  S.  (K.  S.  A.  C.) Assistant  in  Printing 

John  E.  Smith,  B.  S.  (Oregon  Ag.  College) Assistant  in  Botany 

R.  C.  Wiley,  B.  S.  (Oklahoina  A.  &  M.  College) Assistant  in  Chemistry 

D.  Edmond  Rudolph Band  Leader 

Porter  J.  Newman,  B.  S.  (Franklin) Assistant  in  Chemistry 

Wm.  A.  Lamb Poultry  man 

Floyd  Howard Farm  Foreman 


IIP**5 1/1    i 

i 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building. 


-11 


154  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL,  COLLEGE 


XV. 

THE  EXPERIMENT  STATION-THE  HATCH  BILL— THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  EX- 
PERIMENT STATION  — THE  HAYS  BRANCH  EXPERIMENT  STATION -EARLY 
DAYS  AT  FORT  HAYS— PROGRESS  AT  HAYS  STATION-PUBLICATIONS  BY  THE 
EXPERIMENT  STATION  — THE  TOTAL  NUMBER  OF  BULLETINS  —POSTAL  PRIVI- 
LEGES-THE  ADAMS  ACT -RECENT  WORK  OF  THE  EXPERIMENT  STATION  — 
SEED  DISTRIBUTION  —ITS  MISSION. 

IF  THERE  is  any  section  of  the  country  that  needs  the  painstak- 
ing assistance  of  the  scientific  agriculturist  and  experimenter, 
it  is  the  prairie  and  mountain  region  of  the  West,  where  a  climate 
unlike  that  of  the  older  part  of  the  United  States  and  the  civilized 
countries  of  Europe  makes  the  selection  of  new  crop  plants  and 
the  adoption  of  new  methods  of  tilling  and  husbanding  an  impera- 
tive necessity.  It  is  natural  that  this  necessity  should  have  pre- 
sented itself  with  great  force  to  the  managers  of  an  institution 
founded  for  the  purpose  of  educating  the  youth  of  the  State  for 
the  vocation  of  a  farmer.  Experimental  work  in  a  small  way, 
especially  in  the  important  field  of  forest  planting,  was  com- 
menced as  early  as  1868,  and  was  continued,  as  far  as  the  limited 
means  permitted,  by  Prof.  E.  Gale,  who  for  many  years  was  the 
president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society.  In  1874,  Professor 
Shelton  commenced  a  series  of  very  valuable  experiments  in  the 
cultivation  of  alfalfa,  cow-peas,  and  tame  grasses,  continuing  his 
observations  of  varieties  and  species  under  different  forms  of 
treatment  up  to  1889.  Later,  experiments  were  made  in  subsoil- 
ing,  listing,  feeding,  etc.  The  results  were  published  in  the 
Industrialist  and  in  freely-distributed  annual  reports.  Professor 
Popenoe,  following  his  predecessors  in  the  work  of  horticulture, 
made  a  series  of  experiments  in  arboriculture,  grape  growing, 
and  vegetable  gardening.  This  work  was  carried  on  chiefly  at  the 
expense  of  the  College,  though  during  the  eighties  the  legislature 
reluctantly  assisted  with  a  few  paltry  appropriations.  In  1888, 
however,  the  work  gained  a  new  phase  by  the  help  of  the  general 
government. 

THE   HATCH   BILL. 

The  passage  by  Congress  of  the  "Hatch  bill,"  in  March,  1887, 
provided  for  the  organization  in  each  state  of  a  station  for  experi- 
ments in  lines  promotive  of  agriculture.  The  legislature  at  once 
designated  this  College  as  the  proper  place  for  the  station,  and 
measures  were  taken  for  such  work.  It  was  found,  however,  that 
no  appropriation  had  been  made  for  carrying  out  the  provisions  of 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L55 

the  bill,  and  accordingly  little  could  be  done  until  February,  L888, 
at  which  time  the  appropriation  was  made. 

The  law,  named  after  Senator  Hatch,  of  Missouri,  who  was  its 
f ramer  and  promoter,  is  as  follows : 

An  Act  to  establish  agricultural  experiment  stations  in  connection  with  the  colleges  estab- 
lished in  the  several  states  under  the  provisions  of  an  act  approved  July  2,  1869,  and  oi  the 
acts  supplementary  thereto. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  lt<  i>resentatwes  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  in  order  to  aid  in  acquir- 
ing and  diffusing-  among-  the  people  of  the  United  States  useful  and  practi- 
cal information  on  subjects  connected  with  agriculture,  and  to  promote 
scientific  investigation  and  experiment  respecting-  the  principles  and  appli- 
cations of  agricultural  science,  there  shall  be  established,  under  direction 
of  the  college  or  colleges,  or  agricultural  department  of  colleges,  in  each 
state  or  territory  established,  or  which  may  hereafter  be  established,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  provisions  of  an  act  approved  July  2,  1862,  entitled  "An 
act  donating  public  lands  to  the  several  states  and  territories  which  may 
provide  colleges  for  the  benefit  of  ag'riculture  and  the  mechanic  arts,"  or 
any  of  the  supplements  to  said  act,  a  department  to  be  known  and  designated 
as  an  "Agricultural  Experiment  Station:"  Provided,  That  in  any  state  or 
territory  in  which  two  such  colleges  have  been  or  may  be  so  established,  the 
appropriation  hereinafter  made  to  such  state  or  territory  shall  be  equally 
divided  between  such  colleges,  unless  the  legislature  of  such  state  or  terri- 
tory shall  otherwise  direct. 

Sec.  2.  That  it  shall  be  the  object  and  duty  of  said  experiment  stations 
to  conduct  original  researches  or  verify  experiments  on  the  physiology  of 
plants  and  animals;  the  diseases  to  which  they  are  severally  subject,  with  the 
remedies  for  the  same;  the  chemical  composition  of  useful  plants  at  their 
different  stages  of  growth;  the  comparative  advantages  of  rotative  cropping 
as  pursued  under  a  varying  series  of  crops;  the  capacity  of  new  plants  or 
trees  for  acclimation;  the  analysis  of  soils  and  water;  the  chemical  composi- 
tion of  manures,  natural  or  artificial,  with  experiments  designed  to  test 
their  comparative  effects  on  crops  of  different  kinds;  the  adaptation  and 
value  of  grasses  and  forag'e  plants;  the  composition  and  digestibility  of  the 
different  kinds  of  food  for  domestic  animals;  the  scientific  and  economic 
questions  involved  in  the  production  of  butter  and  cheese;  and  such  other 
researches  or  experiments  bearing  directly  on  the  agricultural  interests  of 
the  United  States  as  may  in  each  case  be  deemed  advisable,  having  due 
regard  to  the  varying  conditions  and  needs  of  the  respective  states  or  terri- 
tories. 

Sec.  3.  That  in  order  to  secure,  as  far  as  practicable,  uniformity  of  meth- 
ods and  results  in  the  work  of  said  stations,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  United 
States  commissioner  of  agriculture  to  furnish  forms,  as  far  as  practicable, 
for  the  tabulation  of  results  of  investigation  or  experiments;  to  indicate 
from  time  to  time  such  lines  of  inquiry  as  to  him  shall  seem  most  important; 
and  in  general,  to  furnish  such  advice  and  assistance  as  will  best  promote 
the  purposes  of  this  act.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  of  said  stations,  an- 
nually, on  or  before  the  first  day  of  February,  to  make  to  the  governor  of 
#the  state  or  territory  in  which  it  is  located  a  full  and  detailed  report  of  its 
operations,  including  a  statement  of  receipts  and  expenditures,  a  copy  of 
which  report  shall  be  sent  to  each  of  said  stations,  to  the  commissioner  of 
agriculture,  and  to  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States. 


156  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Sec.  4.  That  bulletins  or  reports  of  progress  shall  be  published  at  said 
stations  at  least  once  in  three  months,  one  copy  of  which  shall  be  sent  to 
each  newspaper  in  the  states  or  territories  in  which  they  are  respectively  lo- 
cated, and  to  such  individuals  actually  engaged  in  farming  as  may  request 
the  same,  and  as  far  as  the  means  of  the  station  will  permit.  Such  bulle- 
tins or  reports,  and  the  annual  reports  of  said  stations,  shall  be  transmitted 
in  the  mails  of  the  United  States  free  of  charge  for  postage,  under  such  regu- 
lations as  the  postmaster-general  may  from  time  to  time  prescribe. 

Sec.  5.  That  for  the  purpose  of  paying  the  necessary  expenses  of  conduct- 
ing investigations  and  experiments,  and  printing  and  distributing  the  re- 
sults hereinbefore  prescribed,  the  sum  of  $15,000  is  hereby  appropriated  to 
each  state,  to  be  specially  provided  for  by  Congress  in  the  appropriations 
from  year  to  year,  and  to  each  territory  entitled  under  the  provisions  of  sec- 
tion 8  of  this  act,  out  of  any  money  in  the  treasury  proceeding  from  the  sales 
of  public  lands,  to  be  paid  in  equal  quarterly  payments  on  the  first  day  of 
January,  April,  July  and  October  in  each  year,  to  the  treasurer  or  other 
officer  duly  appointed  by  the  governing  boards  of  said  colleges  to  receive 
the  same,  the  first  payment  to  be  made  on  the  first  day  of  October,  1887 : 
Provided,  however,  That  out  of  the  first  annual  appropriation  so  received  by 
any  station  an  amount  not  exceeding  one-fifth  may  be  expended  in  the  erec- 
tion, enlargement  or  repair  of  a  building  or  buildings  necessary  for  carry- 
ing on  the  work  of  such  station ;  and  thereafter  an  amount  not  exceeding 
five  per  centum  of  such  annual  appropriation  may  be  so  expended. 

Sec.  6.  That  whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  secretary  of  the  treasury, 
from  the  annual  statement  of  receipts  and  expenditures  of  any  of  said  sta- 
tions, that  a  portion  of  the  preceding  annual  appropriation  remains  unex- 
pended, such  amount  shall  be  deducted  from  the  next  succeeding  annual  ap- 
propriation to  such  station,  in  order  that  the  amount  of  money  appropriated 
to  any  station  shall  not  exceed  the  amount  actually  and  necessarily  required 
for  its  maintenance  and  support. 

Sec.  7.  That  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  construed  to  impair  or  modify 
the  legal  relation  existing  between  any  of  the  said  colleges  and  the  govern- 
ment of  the  states  or  territories  in  which  they  are  respectively  located. 

Sec.  8.  That  in  states  having  colleges  entitled  under  this  section  to  the 
benefits  of  this  act,  and  having  also  agricultural  experiment  stations  estab- 
lished by  law  separate  from  said  colleges,  such  states  shall  be  authorized  to 
apply  such  benefits  to  experiments  at  stations  so  established  by  such  states; 
and  in  case  any  state  shall  have  established,  under  provisions  of  said  act  of 
July  2  aforesaid,  an  agricultural  department  or  experimental  station  in 
connection  with  any  university,  college  or  institution  not  distinctively  an 
agricultural  college  or  school,  and  said  states  shall  have  established  or 
shall  hereafter  establish  a  separate  agricultural  college  or  school,  which 
shall  have  connected  therewith  an  experimental  farm  or  station,  the  legisla- 
ture of  such  state  may  apply  in  whole  or  in  part  the  appropriation  by  this 
act  made  to  such  agricultural  college  or  school;  and  no  legislature  shall,  by 
contract,  express  or  implied,  disable  itself  from  so  doing. 

Sec.  9.  That  the  grants  of  moneys  authorized  by  this  act  are  made  sub- 
ject to  the  legislative  assent  of  the  several  states  and  territories  to  the  pur- 
poses of  said  grants :  Provided,  That  payments  of  such  installments  of  the 
appropriation  herein  made  as  shall  become  due  to  any  state  before  the  ad- 
journment of  the  regular  session  of  the  legislature  meeting  next  after  the 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  157 

passage  of  this  act  shall  be  made  upon  the  assent  of  bhe  governor  thereof, 
duly  oertifled  to  the  secretary  of  the  treasury. 

Sec.  10.  Nothing  in  this  aot  shall  he  held  or  construed  as  binding  the 

United  States  to  continue  any  payments  from  the  treasury  to  any  or  all  of 
the  states  or  institutions  mentioned  in  this  act;  but  Congress  may  at  any 
time  amend,  suspend  or  repeal  any  or  all  of  the  provisions  of  this  act. 
Approved  March  1,  1887. 

As  soon  as  the  news  arrived  that  the  President  had  signed  the 
above  bill,  the  State  legislature  passed  the  following  concurrent 
resolution : 

Be  it  resolved  by  the  Senate  of  the  State  of  Kansas,  the  House  concurring, 
That  the  annual  appropriation  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ($15,000),  made 
available  to  the  State  of  Kansas  under  the  act  of  Congress  for  the  main- 
tenance of  an  experiment  station  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture,  in  connection 
with  each  college  established  under  the  act  of  Congress  approved  July  2, 
1862,  be  and  is  hereby  placed  under  the  control  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of 
the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  subject  to  rules  and  regulations 
expressed  or  implied  in  the  act  of  Congress  above  named. 

Approved  March  3,  1887. 

THE   ORGANIZATION    OP   THE   EXPERIMENT   STATION. 

These  enactments  placed  $15,000  in  the  hands  of  the  Board  of 
Regents  for  use  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1888,  and  an 
equal  sum  for  the  year  following.  The  organization  of  the  Experi- 
ment Station  was  at  once  completed  and  the  work  started.  The 
general  executive  management  of  the  Station  was  placed  under 
the  control  of  a  council,  consisting  of  the  President,  the  prof essors 
of  agriculture,  horticulture  and  entomology,  chemistry,  botany, 
and  veterinary  science.  Pres.  Geo.  T.  Pairchild  was  made  ex- 
officio  chairman  of  the  council,  and  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton  director. 
The  organic  act  permitted  the  use  of  one-fifth  of  the  appropriation 
of  the  first  year  for  building  purposes.  Prom  this  source  the 
horticultural  laboratory,  with  about  twenty-four  hundred  square 
feet  of  propagating  pits,  was  constructed. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Prof.  E.  M.  Shelton,  in  January,  1890, 
the  office  of  director  was  discontinued,  and  the  clerical  duties 
heretofore  connected  with  that  office  given  to  the  assistant  secre- 
tary of  the  Board  of  Regents;  but  ten  years  later,  in  June,  1900, 
the  Board  of  Regents  went  back  to  the  original  plan,  reestablished 
the  office  of  director,  and  elected  Prof.  J.  T.  Willard,  of  the  Chem- 
ical Department,  to  the  position.  In  1901  the  newly-created  chair 
of  dairy  husbandry  was  added  to  the  Station  staff.  The  experi- 
menting force  of  the  College  in  1902  consisted  of  eight  professors 
and  seven  assistants. 

In  1894  the  College,  heeding  the  general  clamor  for  irrigation 


158  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

experiments,  established  an  irrigation  farm  of  about  ten  acres  at 
Garden  City,  but  two  years  later,  after  spending  several  thousand 
dollars  in  irrigation  operations,  it  was  decided  to  abandon  further 
investigations  in  that  quarter.  A  similar  effort  was  made  near 
Goodland,  with  drive- well  machinery.  At  Garden  City  the  water 
was  hoisted  by  means  of  a  "Jumbo"  wheel,  and  at  Goodland  by 
means  of  a  vertical  windmill.  Prof.  O.  P.  Hood,  of  the  Engineer- 
ing Department,  believing  that  the  irrigation  problem  was  chiefly 
a  question  of  effective  pumps  and  cheap  motive  power,  made  a 
series  of  experiments  with  wind  motors  for  the  purpose  of  testing 
their  working  results  in  hoisting  water,  but,  although  much  of  this 
work  was  done  in  connection  with  the  College  Experiment  Sta- 
tion, the  report  was  ultimately  published  by  the  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture. 

THE   HAYS  BRANCH   EXPERIMENT   STATION. 

During  the  closing  days  of  the  winter  session  of  Congress  in 
1895  a  bill  was  passed  giving  the  Agricultural  College  half  of  the 
reservation  of  the  abandoned  Fort  Hays,  in  Trego  county,  a  tract 
of  over  seventy-two  hundred  acres  of  fine  prairie  land,  for  the 
purpose  of  founding  a  branch  experiment  station.  The  remainder 
of  the  reservation  was  donated  the  State  for  locating  a  Normal 
School,  while  a  small  strip  of  land  along  the  town  site  was  to  form 
a  public  park.  President  Cleveland  vetoed  the  bill,  as  he  had 
vetoed  the  "deficiency  bill"  mentioned  elsewhere,  but  in  the  win- 
ter of  1900  it  was  again  passed,  being  introduced  and  fathered 
by  Senator  W.  A.  Harris  (appointed  as  Regent  of  the  College  in 
1909)  and  Congressman  W.  A.  Reeder.     The  act  reads  as  follows: 

Be  it  Unacted,  That  the  abandoned  Fort  Hays  reservation,  and  all  improv- 
ments  thereon,  situated  in  the  State  of  Kansas,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby 
granted  to  said  State  upon  the  conditions  that  said  State  shall  establish  and 
maintain  perpetually  thereon,  first,  an  experimental  station  of  the  Kansas 
Agricultural  College ;  second,  a  western  branch  of  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School,  and  in  that  connection  therewith  the  said  reservation  shall  be  used 
and  maintained  as  a  public  park: 

Provided,  That  said  State  shall,  within  five  years  from  and  after  the  pas- 
sage of  this  act,  accept  this  grant,  and  shall  by  proper  legislative  action 
establish  on  said  reservation  an  experiment  station  of  the  Kansas  Agricul- 
tural College  and  a  western  branch  of  the  Kansas  State  Normal  School,  and 
whenever  the  land  shall  cease  to  be  used  by  said  State  for  the  purposes 
herein  mentioned  the  same  shall  revert  to  the  United  States. 

Provided  further,  That  the  provisions  of  this  act  shall  not  apply  to  any 
tract  or  tracts  within  the  limits  of  said  reservation  to  which  valid  claim  has 
attached  by  settlement  or  otherwise  under  any  public-land  laws  of  the  United 
States. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  159 

A  few  days  after  the  passage  of  this  art,  the  State  Legislature, 
then  also  in  session,  accepted  the  proffered  grant  and  obligated 
itself  to  carry  out  its  liberal  conditions.  The  following  is  a  copy 
of  the  act  as  far  as  it  relates  to  the  organization  of  the  Experiment 
Station,  sections  4,  5,  6,  7  and  8  relating  to  the  establishment  of 
the  Branch  Normal  School  being  omitted: 

Section  1.  The  Boards  of  Regents  of  the  State  Agricultural  College 
and  of  the  State  Normal  School,  respectively,  are  hereby  authorized  to 
locate  and  establish  an  experimental  station  of  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege and  a  branch  or  auxiliary  of  the  State  Normal  School  on  the  Fort 
Hays  military  reservation. 

Sec.  2.  The  following  described  tracts  of  land  lying  within  the  limits  of 
the  reservation  aforesaid,  to  wit:  Section  36,  township  13  S.,  range  19  W.  ; 
section  31,  township  13  S.,  range  18  W.  ;  section  1,  township  14  S.,  range  19 
W. ;  sections  6  and  8,  the  east  half  of  section  7,  the  north  half  of  section  17, 
and  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  all  in  township  14  S.,  range  18  W., 
are  hereby  placed  under  the  direction  of  the  Regents  of  the  State  Normal 
School.  It  shall  be  their  duty  to  lease  or  rent  the  said  lands  to  the  best 
advantage,  and  all  moneys  derived  from  rents  for  such  lands  shall  be  col- 
lected by  the  Regents  aforesaid,  who  shall  deposit  the  same  with  the  treas- 
urer of  the  Board,  to  be  expended  by  said  Board  of  Regents  for  the  equip- 
ment and  maintenance  of  said  auxiliary  of  the  State  Normal  School. 

Sec.  3.  All  the  remaining  lands  of  the  reservation  aforesaid  are  hereby 
placed  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  Agricultural 
College,  except  the  north  half  of  section  5,  township  14  S.,  range  18  W., 
which,  with  the  buildings  thereon,  shall  be  used  jointly  as  may  be  deter- 
mined by  the  Boards  of  Regents  of  the  institutions  aforesaid. 

Sec.  9.  The  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  is  hereby 
authorized  to  locate  and  establish  on  the  reservation  aforesaid  an  experi- 
mental station  of  the  Agricultural  College,  and  shall  adopt  such  measures 
as  may  be  necessary  to  place  the  same  in  successful  operation  and  to  pre- 
serve the  land,  upon  which  the  native  timber  is  now  growing,  as  a  public 
park. 

Sec.  10.  To  carry  out  the  provisions  of  section  9  of  this  act,  the  sum  of 
three  thousand  dollars  is  hereby  appropriated  for  the  fiscal  year  ending 
June  30,  1902,  and  three  thousand  dollars  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30, 
1903. 

Sec.  11.  All  sums  of  money  payable  out  of  the  appropriations  specified 
in  section  8  of  this  act  shall  be  upon  vouchers  approved  by  the  Board  of 
Regents  of  the  State  Normal  School ;  all  sums  payable  out  of  the  appropria- 
tions specified  in  section  10  shall  be  upon  vouchers  approved  by  the  Board 
of  Regents  of  the  State  Agricultural  College. 

Sec.  12.  The  auditor  of  State  is  hereby  authorized  to  draw  his  warrants 
on  the  treasurer  of  State  for  the  several  sums  and  purposes  specified  in  this 
act  upon  verified  vouchers  approved  by  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State 
Normal  School  or  the  State  Agricultural  College :  Provided,  That  no  portion 
of  the  money  appropriated  in  this  act  shall  be  expended  by  the  Boards  of 
Regents  until  the  attorney-general  of  the  State  of  Kansas  shall  first  notify 
the  governor  and  the  Board  of  Regents  that  the  title  to  the  land  in  said  res- 
ervation is  unimpaired,  and  the  land  is  available  under  the  terms  of  the  act 
of  Congress  ceding  said  reservation  to  the  State. 


160  KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Sec.  13.     This  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  its  pub- 
lication in  the  official  State  paper. 
Approved  February  26,  1901. 
Published  in  official  State  paper  March  1,  1901. 

The  House  joint  resolution  No.  1,  accepting  the  abandoned  Fort 
Hays  military  reservation,  reads  as  follows : 

Be  it  resolved  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas : 

Section  1.  That  the  State  of  Kansas  hereby  accepts  from  the  United 
States  the  abandoned  Fort  Hays  military  reservation,  as  provided  in  act 
of  Congress  relating  thereto,  approved  March  27,  1900. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress,  "An  act  granting  to 
the  State  of  Kansas  the  abandoned  Fort  Hays  military  reservation,  in  said 
State,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  an  experimental  station  of  the  Kansas 
Agricultural  College  and  a  western  branch  of  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School  thereon  and  a  public  park,"  approved  March  27,  1900,  are  hereby 
accepted  by  the  State  of  Kansas. 

Sec.  3.  That  upon  the  approval  of  this  act  by  the  governor,  he  is  re- 
quested to  transmit  a  certified  copy  of  the  same  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior 
of  the  United  States. 

Approved  February  7,  1901. 

Copy  transmitted  to  secretary  of  the  interior  February  7,  1901. 

EARLY  DAYS  AT  FORT  HAYS. 

The  Hays  Experiment  Station  has  witnessed  a  wonderful  trans- 
formation the  past  eight  years.  Where  a  few  years  ago,  less  than 
a  generation  ago,  the  soldier,  the  cowboy,  the  Indian  and  the  prai- 
rie-dog were  prowling  over  the  seemingly  endless  short-grass 
prairies,  there  are  now  miles  of  smooth  roads  passing  through 
well-tilled  plats  of  waving  grain,  emerald  alfalfa,  bearing  orchards, 
promising  nurseries,  and  successful  forest  plantations.  It  used 
to  be  one  of  the  toughest  rendezvous  of  the  unspeakably  rough 
Kansas  frontier — it  is  to-day  a  beautiful,  sunny  landscape  of  peace 
and  good  will. 

A  visit  to  the  Station  recalls  to  the  old  Kansan  much  that  hap- 
pened there  in  the  days  of  Wild  Bill  and  Wyoming  Pete. 

Fort  Hays  was  a  general  outfitting  point  for  the  Indian  cam- 
paigns that  vexed  Western  Kansas  from  1867  to  1878.  At  different 
times  it  was  commanded  by  army  officers  of  more  than  national 
fame.  Sheridan,  Hancock,  Custer,  Smith,  Miles,  Carr,  Howard, 
and  others  of  lesser  note,  were  stationed  there,  and  among  the 
great  scouts  and  noted  characters  of  the  plains  there  is  scarcely 
one  who  at  some  time  was  not  a  sojourner  at  the  post  or  town.  It 
was  from  here  that  General  Custer  started  his  campaign  after 
Blackkettle,  and  from  here  that  General  Forsythe  gathered  the 
most  of  his   intrepid  volunteers  who  fought  the  battle  of   the 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  161 

Arickaree — ■  that  most  remarkable  engagement  recorded  in  the 
annals  of  Indian  war. 

The  flag  was  first  thrown  to  the  breeze  at  EY>rt  Hays  on  July  4, 
1S67.  But  interesting  as  the  history  of  old  Port  Hays  may  be, 
far  more  interesting  is  the  history  of  the  town  which  sprang  up 
across  the  creek.  Originally  the  town  was  known  as  Rome,  or  at 
least  when  Hays  was  started  there  was  a  little  settlement  known 
by  that  name  near  by,  and  it  gave  way  to  the  new  railroad  town 
which  took  the  name  of  the  fort.  Rome  was  pioneered  by  W.  P. 
Cody,  better  known  as  Buffalo  Bill,  and  Buffalo  Bill  got  his 
name  at  Hays  or  thereabouts  because  of  his  skill  and  industry  in 
hunting  the  bison.  In  1868,  Bill  took  from  Hill  P.  Wilson,  then 
post  trader  at  the  fort,  and  later  assistant  secretary  of  state,  a 
contract  for  supplying  the  soldiers  with  buffalo  meat  in  lieu  of 
beef,  and  he  was  a  familiar  figure  about  the  post  and  town  for  a 
long  time. 

Naturally,  the  town  of  Hays,  being  the  jumping  off  place  for 
civilization,  became  the  rendezvous  for  many  of  those  wild  char- 
acters who  are  wont  to  congregate  on  the  frontier.  "Wild  Bill" 
(William  Hickok),  whom  the  writer  of  this  history  knew  personally 
for  several  years,  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1868,  but  he 
did  not  serve  out  his  term.  He  was  chased  out  of  the  country  by 
Lieut.  Tom  Custer,  brother  of  the  general,  and  a  company  of  the 
Seventh  Cavalry.  Custer  had  ridden  his  horse  into  a  billiard 
room  one  night,  and  then  killed  the  horse  because  he  would  not 
jump  on  a  billiard  table.  Por  this  Bill  arrested  him  and  had  him 
fined,  and  a  few  days  later  something  like  a  dozen  of  Custer's 
troopers  jumped  on  Bill  in  revenge.  They  cut  him  up  some,  but 
he  killed  two  of  them  and  wounded  a  couple  of  others,  and  they 
fled.  That  night,  however,  a  whole  company  with  their  carbines 
and  sidearms  came  to  town  in  search  of  Bill,  and  he  rode  away  in 
the  darkness  with  the  philosophical  remark  that  he  couldn't  lick 
the  whole  Seventh  Cavalry. 

Besides  the  two  soldiers  who  were  buried  at  the  fort,  Bill 
added  four  graves  to  the  town  cemetery,  which  to  this  day  is 
known  as  "Boot  Hill."  There  were  seventy-nine  graves  in  this 
plot,  and  every  one  was  occupied  by  a  man  who  came  to  his  death 
through  violence,  with  the  single  exception  of  one,  filled  by  a  col- 
ored woman  known  as  "Mrs.  Kidd."  Mrs.  Kidd  froze  to  death 
one  night,  and  she  was  the  only  one  in  that  grim  burial  plot  whose 
form  had  not  been  marred  by  the  gun,  the  knife,  or  the  rope. 

"Hank"  Montgomery,  who  used  to  publish  a  paper  at  Hays  and 


162  KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

later  became  editor  of  the  Kansas  City  Journal,  said  in  an  article 
in  that  paper,  from  which  some  of  these  early  reminiscences  are 
excerpted,  that  there  is  no  authentic  record  of  the  "killings" 
made  in  Hays  in  the  early  days.  Judge  Jimmy  Joyce,  of  Hays,  once 
published  the  statement  that  he  had  traced  up  165  violent  deaths  in 
the  town  or  its  immediate  surroundings.  Of  these  he  placed  the 
number  killed  by  Indians  at  only  eighteen,  while  all  the  rest  were 
stabbed  or  shot  or  hung.  Judge  Joyce  himself  was  a  noted 
western  character.  At  the  organization  of  the  county  he  had  been 
appointed  justice  of  the  peace,  and  he  continued  to  hold  the  office 
for  a  number  of  years.  Many  of  his  decisions  are  famous.  He 
allowed  no  appeals  from  his  court.  He  granted  divorces  and  per- 
formed other  functions  not  lodged  in  the  office  which  he  held. 
He  finally  set  out  to  usurp  the  functions  of  United  States  district 
judge,  and  then  came  to  grief,  and  also  to  Leavenworth,  where  his 
friends  had  some  difficulty  in  releasing  him  from  the  pen. 

Mr.  Montgomery  used  to  tell  the  following  characteristic  "west- 
ern" story  on  Judge  Joyce: 

"In  1870  the  contractors'  firm  of  Com  stock  &  White  were  doing 
business  at  the  fort.  In  the  course  of  a  quarrel  Comstock  killed 
White.  White  had  a  brother  in  New  York,  a  lawyer,  who  came 
out  to  visit  the  law  upon  his  brother's  slayer.  Comstock  was 
arrested  and  brought  before  Judge  Joyce  at  Hays  City.  The 
prisoner  walked  into  the  court  room  (Judge  Joyce's  saloon)  with 
two  big  six-shooters  belted  to  his  hips. 

' '  'Misther  Comstock,  ye  are  charged  with  wilful  murther.  Are 
ye  guilty  or  not  guilty? '  asked  the  judge. 

" '  Guilty ! '  was  the  laconic  response. 

"This  was  entirely  beyond  Judge  Joyce's  calculations.  He  had 
no  precedent  for  such  a  case,  and  no  power  or  inclination  to  visit  a 
penalty,  and  so,  with  great  indignation,  he  shouted: 

Ye  are  a  fool  for  tellin'  it !     Did  any  wan  see  ye  do  it ? ' 

"'No,'  was  the  prisoner's  response. 

"Thin  Oi  discharge  ye  fer  want  of  ividence! '  declared  his 
honor.  Imagine  the  feelings  of  Mr.  White,  of  New  York,  who 
had  come  to  avenge  his  brother's  slaying!" 

But  that  civilization  was  swept  away  by  the  advent  of  the  U.  P. 
railroad,  the  plow,  and  the  shorthorn  steer.  The  buildings  of  the 
old  fort  are  nearly  all  demolished,  and  the  city  of  Hays  is  one  of 
the  jewels  of  the  Kansas  prairie  country.  The  six  shooter  of  the 
cowboy  has  given  way  to  the  microscope  of  the  college  professor. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L68 

PROGRESS  AT   HAYS  STATION. 

At  one  time  the  reservation  was  supposed  to  be  open  for  settle- 
ment, and  much  of  the  land  was  filed  upon  and  occupied.  When 
the  State  accepted  the  reservation  these  claims  constituted  a  (law 
in  the  title.  To  remove  this,  the  Board  executed  leases  to  the 
claimants  running  from  three  to  five  years,  in  consideration  of 
which  all  further  claim  was  relinquished. 

The  plans  for  managing  the  branch  station  are  shown  in  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions,  adopted  by  the  Board  December  13,  1901 : 

Resolved,  That  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Regents  shall  appoint  a 
Regent,  who  shall,  under  the  direction  of  the  Board,  have  special  charge  of 
all  matters  pertaining*  to  the  Fort  Hays  reservation  in  behalf  of  the  Agricul- 
tural College,  the  Experiment  Station  Council  to  direct  all  experiments,  sub- 
ject to  the  approval  of  the  Board. 

Resolved,  That  the  crop  experiments  and  such  other  experiments  as  can  be 
provided  for  be  begun  in  the  year  1902  on  as  liberal  a  scale  as  circumstances 
and  the  funds  at  our  command  permit;  and  that  all  seeding,  cultivation,  har- 
vesting', storing,  sale  and  purchase  of  commodities,  or  of  live  stock  and  its 
feeding,  pertaining  to  experimental  work,  and  all  records  in  reference 
thereto,  be  under  the  immediate  supervision  and  direction  of  a  competent 
man,  who  shall  be  stationed  at  Hays  so  much  of  the  time  as  may  be  nec- 
essary for  best  doing  the  work  contemplated. 

Resolved,  That  such  repairs  be  made  upon  the  buildings  on  the  Fort  Hays 
reservation  as  shall  make  them  available  for  use,  and  that  a  practical 
farmer  be  employed,  who  shall  be  known  as  foreman  of  the  farm,  and  who 
shall  see  that  all  contracts  pertaining  thereto  are  fulfilled  and  all  property 
belonging  to  the  Experiment  Station  be  properly  cared  for,  and  shall  per- 
form such  other  duties  as  shall  be  assigned  to  him. 

Resolved,  That  the  Regent  appointed  to  have  charge  of  the  interests  of  the 
Experiment  Station  at  Hays  shall  be  paid  his  per  diem  and  actual  and  nec- 
essary expenses  incurred  in  the  performance  of  such  duties,  but  shall  not  be 
allowed  mileage. 

J.  G.  Haney,  a  graduate  of  the  College,  for  several  years  assist- 
ant in  field  and  feeding  experiments  and  later  agricultural  agent 
of  the  Chihuahua  &  Pacific  Railway  Company,  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  branch  station.  He  entered  upon  his  duties 
March  29, 1902,  as  soon  as  the  title  to  the  reservation  was  reported 
clear  by  the  attorney-general,  and  such  experiments  as  could  be 
made  on  sod  were  started  at  once. 

The  part  of  the  reservation  secured  by  the  Agricultural  College 
was  the  one  to  the  east,  which  has  the  greater  diversity  of  location, 
quality,  etc.  The  land  proved  to  be  of  good  quality,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  the  immediate  bed  of  the  creek,  is  all  tillable. 

At  the  time  work  was  begun  there  were  no  improvements  nor 
equipment  of  any  kind  on  the  land.  The  fort  had  been  abandoned 
more  than  fifteen  years;  fully  half  of  the  buildings  were  gone 


164  KANSAS   STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

entirely,  and  what  remained  were  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition. 
The  appropriation  available  was  used  in  breaking  out  nearly  a  sec- 
tion of  land,  building  seven  miles  of  fence  to  close  the  numerous 
roads  that  radiated  from  Hays  on  the  south  side,  and  also  in  the 
purchase  of  some  necessary  implements  and  a  saddle  pony. 

After  the  1902- '03  appropriation  was  available  four  buildings 
were  moved  from  the  site  of  the  old  fort  about  a  half-mile  south- 
east to  the  location  chosen  for  the  Station  buildings.  These  were 
fitted  up  for  a  barn,  tool -shed,  granary,  and  dwelling.  In  the  fall 
of  1902  one  team  was  bought  for  use  on  the  Station.  All  team 
work  had  been  hired  up  to  this  time,  and  it  was  still  necessary  to 
engage  considerable  help  in  gathering  the  feed  grown  on  sod  and 
put  in  200  acres  of  wheat. 

The  legislature  of  1903  was  liberal  in  appropriations.  A  total 
of  $32,550  was  obtained  from  the  State  for  the  succeeding  two 
years,  $10,000  being  made  available  on  adjournment  of  the  legisla- 
ture for  current  expenses,  teams,  and  equipment.  With  this 
fund  the  Station  fenced  about  eight  hundred  acres  of  farm  and 
prairie  land,  erected  a  number  of  sheds,  a  barn,  and  a  boarding- 
house,  dug  a  well,  and  bought  an  additional  team  and  a  lot  of  im- 
plements. 

PUBLICATIONS  BY  THE  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

Since  its  organization  the  Experiment  Station  has  issued  one 
hundred  fifty- seven  bulletins  and  twenty  annual  reports,  the  former 
containing  current  matter  of  general  interest  to  farmers,  horti- 
culturists, and  stockmen,  while  the  latter  include  data  of  all  com- 
pleted experiments,  with  brief  references  to  those  still  in  prog- 
ress. All  bulletins  and  reports  are  distributed  free  to  those  who 
apply  for  them.  The  usual  edition  of  the  earlier  bulletins  was 
seventy-five  hundred  copies,  but  the  general  demand  for  informa- 
tion on  certain  subjects  has  required  much  larger  editions  of  late. 
During  the  past  half-dozen  years  the  number  of  applicants  has  in- 
creased so  that  many  editions  have  run  short  with  forty  or  forty- 
five  thousand  copies.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  bulletins  issued 
thus  far.  The  titles  give  a  fair  index  to  the  range  and  character 
of  the  investigations  carried  on  by  the  different  departments : 

1888 — No.  1.  Organization,  Equipment,  and  Aims. 

No.  2.  Experience  with  Cultivated  Grasses  and  Clovers. 

No.  3.  Life-History  of  two  Orchard  Pests. 

No.  4.  Experiments  with  Wheat. 

No.  5.  Sorghum  and  Sorghum  Blight. 

1889— No.  6.   Silos  and  Ensilage. 

No.  7.  Experiments  with  Wheat. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L65 

L889    (Concluded). 

No.     S.   Preliminary  Report  OD  Smut  in  Oats. 

No.    9.  Experiments  In  Pig  Feeding. 
L890    No.   l".  Notes  on  Conifers  for  Kansas  Planters. 

No.  11.   Experiments  with  Wheat. 

No.  L2.  Preliminary  Experiments  with   Fungicides  for  Stinking  Smut 
Of  Wheat. 

No.  L3.   Experiments  with  Oats. 

No.  14.  Winter  Protection  of  Peach  Trees,  and  Notes  on  Grapes. 

No.  15.  Additional  Experiments  and  Observations  on  Oat  Smut,  made 
in  1890. 

No.  16.  Experiments  with  Sorghum  and  Sugar  Beets 

No.  17.  Crossed  Varieties  of  Corn,  Second  and  Third  Years. 

No.  18.  Experiments  with  Forage  Plants. 

No.  19.  Germination  of  Weeviled  Peas  —  Garden  Notes   on  Potatoes, 
Beans,  and  Cabbage. 
1891— No.  20.  Wheat. 

No.  21.  Stinking  Smut  of  Wheat. 

No.  22.  Smut  of  Oats;  Smut  and  Rust  of  Wheat. 

No.  23.  Smut  of  Sorghum  and  Corn. 

No.  24.  Staggers  of  Horses. 

No.  25.  Sorghum  for  Sugar. 

No.  26.  Varieties  of  the  Strawberry. 

No.  27.  Crossed  Varieties  of  Corn. 

No.  28.  The  Experimental  Vineyard. 

No.  29.  Oats. 

No.  30.  Corn. 

No.  31.  Sugar  Beets. 

No.  32.  Feeding  Stuffs,  and  the  Development  of  Grain  Crops.     Soy- 
Beans. 
1892— No.  33.  Experiment  with  Wheat. 

No.  34.  Experiments  in  Feeding  Steers. 

No.  35.  Actinomycosis  oovis,  or  "Lumpy  Jaw"  of  Cattle.     Some  Obser- 
vations upon  Loco. 

No.  36.  Experiments  with  Sorghum  and  with  Sugar  Beets. 

No.  37.  Experiments  in  Potato  Culture. 
1893 — No.  38.  Preliminary  Report  on  Rusts  of  Grain. 

No.  39.  Experiments  in  Feeding  Steers,  II. 

No.  40.  Experiments  in  Wheat. 

No.  41.  Effect  of  Fungicides  upon  the  Germination  of  Corn. 

No.  42.  Experiment  with  Oats. 

No.  43.  Experiments  with  Sorghum  and  Sugar  Beets. 

No.  44.  Further  Study  of  Native  Grapes. 

No.  45.  Experiments  with  Corn. 
1894— No.  46.  Rusts  of  Grain,  II. 

No.  47.  Experiments  with  Wheat.     Experiments  in  Feeding  Steers,  III. 

No.  48.  Six  Years'  Experience  with  Ensilage.     Some  Forage  Plants. 
Renovating'  a  Prairie  Pasture. 

1895 — No.  49.  Cattle  Poisoning  by  Potassium  Nitrate.     Mastitis. 
No.  50.  Kansas  Weeds,  I  —  Seedlings. 
No.  51.  Steer  Feeding,  IV — A  Comparison  Between  Pure-Bred  Short 

horns  and  Scrubs. 
No.  52.  Kansas  Weeds —Preliminary  Circular  on  Distribution. 


166  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1895— Concluded). 

No.  53.  Pig-Feeding-  Experiments  with  Corn,  Wheat,  Kafir-Corn,  and 
Cottonseed. 

No.  5L  Experiments  with  Oats. 

No.  55.  Small  Fruits  by  Irrigation.     Culture  of  Strawberries. 

No.  56.  Experiments  with  Corn.     Experiments  with  Kafir-Corn. 
1896— No.  57.  Kansas  Weeds,  III— Descriptive  List. 

No.  58.  Cornstalk  Disease  of  Cattle. 

No.  59.  Experiments  with  Wheat. 

No.  60.  Steer-Feeding  Experiments,  Series  V. 

No.  61.  Kafir-Corn,  Corn  and  Soy-Bean  Meal  for   Pigs.     Kafir-Corn 
and  Corn-Meal  for  Cattle. 

No.  62.  Corn-Smut. 

No.  63.  Experiments  with  Oats. 

No.  64.  Experiments  with  Corn. 
1897— No.  65.  Grafting  the  Apple. 

No.  66.  Kansas  Weeds,  IV— Fruits  and  Seeds. 

No.  67.   Steer  Feeding,  VI. 

No.  68.  Soil  Moisture. 

No.  69.  Some  Diseases  of  Cattle. 

No.  70.  Vegetable  Growing. 

No.  71.  Experiments  with  Wheat. 

No.  72.  Growth  of  Young  Stock. 

No.  73.  Miscellaneous  Fruit  Notes. 

No.  74.  Experiments  with  Oats. 

No.  75.  Root  Development  of  Forage  Plants. 
1898 — No.  76.  Kansas  Weeds,  V — Vegetative  Propagation. 

No.  77.  Some  Insects  Injurious  to  the  Orchard. 

No.  78.  Sugar  Beets. 

No.  79.  Bovine  Tuberculosis. 

No.  80.  Kansas  Weeds,  VI — Distribution  and  Other  Notes. 
1899— No.  81.  Feed  and  Care  of  the  Dairy  Cow. 

No.  82.  The  Potato-Stalk  Weevil. 

No.  83.  Sugar  Beets. 

No.  84.  Cold  Storage  for  Fruit. 

No.  85.  The  Growth  of  Alfalfa  in  Kansas. 

No.  86.  Press  Bulletins  Nos.  1  to  34. 

No.  87.  Native  Agricultural  Grasses  of  Kansas. 

No.  88.  Keeping  Milk  in  Summer. 

No.  89.  Soil  Moisture. 
1900 — No.  90.  Alfalfa  in  Eastern  Kansas. 

No.  91.   Swine-Plague. 

No.  92.  A  New  Drought-Resisting  Crop — Soy-Beans. 

No.  93.  Kafir-Corn. 

No.  94.   Sugar  Beets,  1899.     The  Station  Publications. 

No.  95.  Fattening  Hogs  with  Drought-Resisting  Crops. 

No.  96.  Soil  Inoculation  for  Soy-Beans. 

No.  97.  Skim-Milk  Calves. 

No.  98.  Some  Scale-Insects  upon  Kansas  Grasses. 
1901— No.  99.  Press  Bulletins  Nos.  35  to  70. 

No.  100.  Soy-Beans  in  Kansas  in  1900. 

No.  101.  Notes  from  the  Plum  Orchard. 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  1(37 

11)01     (Concluded). 

No.  L02.  Forage  Plants  for  Kansas. 

No.  lo;>.  Digestion  Experiments  with  Kansas  Feeds.    Sugar  Beets  in 
Kansas,  L8§]  to  L900. 
1902    No.   L04.  Fall  Seeding  of  Alfalfa. 

No.    10-").    Blackleg  in  Kansas. 

No.  106.  The  Experimental  Apple  Orchard. 

Mo.  107.  Analyses  of  Corn,  with  Reference  to  its  Improvement. 

No.  108.  The  Hardy  Catalpa. 

No.  109.  Spontaneous  Combustion  of  Alfalfa. 

No.  110.  Grapes. 

1903— No.  111.  Quality  in  Beef. 

No.  112.  Fattening-  Steers  Without  Hog's  to  Follow. 

No.  113.  Baby  Beef. 

No.  114.  Growing'  Alfalfa  in  Kansas. 

No.  115.  The  Exact  Calculation  of  Balanced  Rations. 

No.  116.  Destroying*  Prairie-Dogs  and  Pocket-Gophers. 

No.  117.   Bacteria  of  the  Soil. 

No.  118.  Flesh  and  Fat  in  Beef. 

1904— No.  119.  Press  Bulletins  Nos.  71  to  124. 

No.  120.  Tests  of  Forest  Trees. 

No.  121.  Treatment  and  Utilization  of  Flood-Damaged  Lands. 

No.  122.  Blackleg  and  Vaccination. 

No.  123.  Crop  Experiments  in  1903. 

No.  124.  Experiments  in  Feeding"  Steers  and  in  Breeding  and  Feeding 
Pigs. 

No.  125.  Experiments  with  Dairy  Cows. 

No.  126.  Experiments  with  Hand-Fed  Calves. 

No.  127.  The  Roots  of  Plants. 

No.  128.  Fort  Hays  Branch  Experiments,  1902-'04. 

No.  129.  Kansas  Mammals  in  Their  Relation  to  Agriculture. 

1905— No.  130.  Steer  Feeding  Experiment,  VII,  1903- '04. 

No.  131.  Care  of  Dairy  Utensils. 

No.  132.  Western  Feeds  for  Beef  Production. 

No.  133.  Alfalfa   Seed:    Its  Adulterants,    Substitutes    and  Impurities 

and  Their  Detection. 
No.  134.  The  Alfalfa  Seed  Crop  and  Seeding  Alfalfa. 
1906— No.  135.  Grading  Cream. 

No.  136.  Press  Bulletins  (Collection  125  to  151). 
No.  137.  Variations  in  the  Test  of  Separator  Cream. 
No.  138.  Fact  of  Bacteria  in  Wash  Water  of  Butter. 
No.  139.  The  Study  of  Corn. 
1907— No.  140.  Milking  Machines. 

No.  141.  Commercial  Seeds  of  Brome-Grass,  and  of  English  and  Ken- 
tucky  Blue-Grasses :     Adulterants    and   Substitutes   and 
Their  Detection. 
No.  142.  The  Value  of  Oil  Road  Improvement. 

No.  143.  Disposal  of  Dairy  and  Farm  Sewage,  and  Water-Supply. 
No.  144.  Small  Grain  Crops. 
No.  145.  Spraying. 
No.  146.  Kansas  Law  Regulating  the   Sale  of  Concentrated  Feeding 

Stuffs. 
No.  147.  Indian  Corn. 


168  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1907— (Concluded). 

No.  148.  Kansas  Law  Regulating-  the  Sale  of  Commercial  Fertilizers. 

No.  149.  Prevention  of  Sorghum  and  Kafir-Corn  Smut. 

No.  150.  The  Hen's  Place  on  the  Farm. 

No.  151.  Alfalfa  Breeding':    Materials  and  Methods. 
1908— No.  152.  The  Pocket-Gopher. 

No.  153.  Deterioration  of  Red  Texas  Oat  in  Kansas. 

No.  154.  The  Mound-Building  Prairie  Ant. 

No.  155.  Alfalfa. 

No.  156.  The  Yellow  Berry  Problem  in  Kansas  Hard  Winter  Wheats. 

No.  157.   Studies  on  Hog-Cholera  and  Preventive  Treatment. 

THE    TOTAL   NUMBER   OF   BULLETINS. 

The  total  number  of  bulletins  and  reports  distributed  by  the  Ex- 
periment Station  during  the  twenty  years  of  its  existence  reaches 
three  million  copies,  and  the  demand  for  them  is  constantly 
increasing — a  fact  that  speaks  as  well  for  the  farmers  of  the  State 
as  it  does  for  the  work  of  the  College.  Several  of  the  bulletins 
were  reprinted  by  creamery  companies  and  manufacturers  of 
agricultural  machinery  for  free  distribution  among  their  patrons. 
Professor  Cottrell's  bulletin  (No.  81),  "Feed  and  Care  of  the  Dairy 
Cow,"  has  been  used  as  a  text-book  in  feeding  by  several  other 
agricultural  colleges.  Yet,  much  of  the  work  of  the  Experiment 
Station  has  not  been  published,  because  nearly  all  field  or  garden 
experiments  require  the  corroboration  of  several  seasons  before 
the  results  can  be  trusted,  and  many  experiments  are  discontin- 
ued for  one  reason  or  another  before  they  have  produced  tangible 
results.  In  a  laboratory  experiment  the  manipulator  can  control 
the  conditions  to  such  an  extent  that  single  tests  will  usually 
determine  the  existence  or  non-existence  of  an  anticipated  fact; 
but  in  the  field  the  ever-varying  conditions  of  rainfall,  wind,  frost, 
drought,  insect  pests,  rusts,  etc.,  can  not  be  controlled  or  elimi- 
nated so  as  to  give  in  a  single  season  all  the  required  data  for  the 
conclusions  sought. 

The  Agricultural  College,  through  its  Experiment  Station,  has 
not  only  become  the  accepted  Kansas  clearing-house  for  new 
methods  and  theories  in  farming,  horticulture,  stockraising,  and 
dairying,  but  it  has  contributed  much  toward  the  actual  introduc- 
tion and  spread  of  better  grains,  grasses,  vegetables,  forest  trees, 
ornamental  plants,  etc.  Its  picturesque  exhibits  of  grasses, 
alfalfa  hay  and  Jerusalem  corn  at  the  big  fairs  in  Bismark  park, 
near  Lawrence,  twenty  years  ago,  and  its  large  displays  of  alfalfa, 
grains,  grapes,  and  vegetables,  at  the  State  fairs  in  Topeka  and 
Hutchinson  were  inspirations  to  thousands  of  farmers  all  over  the 
West.     The  introduction  in  Kansas  of  the  soy-bean,  the  red  Kafir- 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L69 

corn,  and  many  other  drought  resisting  crops,  is  the  direct  \\<>\-\s 

Of  the  Kansas  Slate  Agricultural  College. 

POSTAL    PRIVILEGES. 

A  great  help  in  the  work-  of  the  Experiment  Station  lias  been 
the  franking  privilege  for  its  bulletins.  The  publications  of  the 
Station  are  transmitted  free  by  the  United  States  Post-Office  De- 
partment. The  following  are  the  postal  regulations  in  force  since 
August  30,  1890: 

(1)  Any  claimant  of  the  privilege  must  apply  for  authority  to  exercise  it 
to  the  postmaster- general,  stating  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  such  sta- 
tion, its  proper  name  or  designation,  its  official  organization  and  the  names 
of  its  officers,  the  name  of  the  university,  college,  school  or  institution  to 
which  it  is  attached,  if  any,  the  legislation  of  the  state  or  territory  provid- 
ing for  its  establishment,  and  any  other  granting  it  the  benefits  of  the  pro- 
vision made  by  Congress  as  aforesaid  (accompanied  by  a  copy  of  the  act  or 
acts),  and  whether  any  other  such  station  in  the  same  state  or  territory  is 
considered,  or  claims  to  be,  also  entitled  to  the  privilege;  and  also  the  place 
of  its  location  and  the  name  of  the  post-office  where  the  bulletins  and  reports 
will  be  mailed.  The  application  must  be  signed  by  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  station. 

(2)  If  such  application  be  allowed  after  examination  by  the  department, 
the  postmaster  of  the  proper  office  will  be  instructed  to  admit  such  bulletins 
and  reports  to  the  mails  in  compliance  with  these  regulations,  and  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  station  will  be  notified  thereof. 

(3)  Paragraph  3,  section  419,  Postal  Laws  and  Regulations  1887,  is 
hereby  amended  so  as  to  read  as  follows : 

"Only  such  bulletins  or  reports  as  shall  have  been  issued  after  the  sta- 
tion became  entitled  to  the  benefits  of  the  act  can  be  transmitted  free,  and 
such  bulletins  or  reports  may  be  inclosed  in  envelopes  or  wrappers,  sealed 
or  unsealed.  On  the  exterior  of  every  envelope,  wrapper,  or  package  must 
be  written  or  printed  the  name  of  the  station  and  place  of  its  location,  the 
designation  of  the  inclosed  bulletin  or  report  and  the  word  'Free'  over  the 
signature  or  facsimile  thereof  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  station,  to  be 
affixed  by  himself,  or  by  some  one  duly  deputed  by  him  for  that  purpose. 
There  may  also  be  written  or  printed  upon  the  envelope  or  wrapper  a  re- 
quest that  the  postmaster  at  the  office  of  delivery  will  notify  the  mailing  sta- 
tion of  the  change  of  address  of  the  addressee,  or  other  reason  for  inability 
to  deliver  the  same,  and  upon  a  bulk  package  a  request  to  the  postmaster 
to  open  and  distribute  the  'franked'  matter  therein,  in  accordance  with  the 
address  thereon. 

"Bulletins  published  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  and  anal- 
ogous to  those  of  the  station,  and  entitled  to  be  mailed  free  under  the  pen- 
alty envelope  of  that  department,  may  also  be  adopted  and  mailed  by  the 
several  stations,  with  their  own  publications,  under  the  same  regulations, 
and  any  bulletins  or  reports  mailable  free  by  any  agricultural  experiment 
station  under  these  regulations  may  be  so  mailed  by  any  other  station  hav- 
ing free  mailing  authority. 

"If  such  station's  annual  reports  be  printed  by  Sfcate  authority,  and  con- 
sist in  part  of  matter  relating  to  the  land  grant  college  to  which  such  sta- 

—12 


170  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURE  L  COLLEGE 

tion  is  attached,  then  said  report  may  be  mailed  free  entire  by  the  director 
of  the  station;  provided,  in  his  judgment,  the  whole  consists  of  useful  in- 
formation of  an  agricultural  character." 

The  Post-Office  Department  has  recently  ruled  that  "in  sending  out  bul- 
letins from  an  agricultural  experiment  station  it  is  permissible  to  inclose 
postal  cards  to  enable  correspondents  of  the  station  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  its  publications  and  to  request  their  continuous  transmission." 

(4)  The  bulletins  may  be  mailed  to  the  stations,  newspapers,  or  persons 
to  whom  they  are  by  the  foregoing  act  authorized  to  be  sent,  and  the  annual 
reports  to  any  address  within  the  United  States. 

THE  ADAMS  ACT. 

The  extensive  work  of  the  Experiment  Station,  especially  dur- 
ing the  last  decade,  has  gradually  made  it  an  important  depart- 
ment of  the  College.  The  heads  of  nine  science  departments  of 
instruction  in  the  College  are  also  put  in  charge  of  the  several 
departments  of  investigation  of  the  Station,  and  to  a  certain  extent 
assistants  serve  in  both  capacities.  The  Experiment  Station, 
therefore,  is  not  at  present  definitely  localized  at  the  institution, 
but  its  work  and  property  are  more  or  less  woven  in  with  that  of 
the  College.  The  expenses  of  the  Experiment  Station  work  are 
separately  accounted  for,  however,  and  its  property  is  listed  in 
separate  inventories.  While  this  arrangement  involves  some  diffi- 
culties, it  also  possesses  many  advantages — advantages  which  are 
mutual.  The  College  work  profits  by  having  the  investigations  of 
the  Station  going  on  alongside.  The  Station  profits  in  that  it  thus 
obtains,  without  charge,  the  use  of  the  College  farm,  buildings, 
heat,  light,  various  collections,  museums,  and  in  some  cases  appa- 
ratus. As  already  stated,  the  expenses  of  the  Experiment  Station 
are  met  by  an  appropriation  by  Congress  of  $15,000  per  annum, 
which  sum  has  been  increased  by  the  Adams  act,  of  1906.  That 
year  $5000  was  paid.  This  amount  is  increased  $2000  per  year  till 
the  total  becomes  $15,000.  The  aims  of  the  Station  may  be  said  to 
be  twofold — those  which  lead  to  immediate  returns,  and  those  the 
object  of  which  can  be  reached  only  after  a  series  of  years.  Ex- 
periments of  the  greatest  value  are  often  of  the  latter  kind,  but  if 
the  work  of  the  Station  were  limited  to  such,  the  public  would  feel 
that  nothing  is  being  accomplished.  It  is  the  intention  of  the 
Station  force  to  make  all  of  its  experiments  practical,  in  the  sense 
that  they  lead  to  results  which,  indirectly  if  not  directly,  benefit 
the  agricultural  interests  of  the  country. 

The  so-called  Adams  bill  was  introduced  in  Congress  by  Rep- 
resentative Adams,  of  Wisconsin,  December  4,  1905,  and  was 
passed  in  the  following  February.  Following  is  a  copy  of  the  act 
as  it  was  passed : 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  171 

an  act  to  provide  for  an  Increased  appropriation  (or  agricultural  experiment  stations  and 
regulating  the  expenditure  thereof. 

Section  l.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  Assembled,  That  there  shall  be,  and 
hereby  is,  annually  appropriated,  out  of  any  money  in  the  treasure  uot  oth- 
erwise appropriated,  to  be  paid  as  hereinafter  provided,  to  each  state  and 
territory,  for  the  more  complete  endowment  and  maintenance  of  agricultural 
experiment  stations  now  established  or  which  may  hereafter  be  established 
in  accordance  with  the  act  of  Congress  approved  March  second,  eighteen 
hundred  eighty-seven,  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  in  addition  to  the 
sum  named  in  said  act  for  the  year  ending  June  thirtieth,  nineteen  hundred 
six,  and  an  annual  increase  of  the  amount  of  such  appropriation  thereafter 
for  live  years  by  an  additional  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars  over  the  prece- 
ding year,  and  the  annual  amount  to  be  paid  thereafter  to  each  state  and 
territory  shall  be  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  to  be  applied  only  to  paying*  the 
necessary  expenses  of  conducting  original  researches  or  experiments  bearing 
directly  on  the  agriculture  industry  of  the  United  States,  having  due  regard 
to  the  varying  conditions  and  needs  of  the  respective  states  and  territories. 

Sec.  2.  That  the  sums  hereby  appropriated  to  the  states  and  territories 
for  the  further  endowment  and  support  of  agricultural  experiment  stations 
shall  be  annually  paid  in  equal  quarterly  payments  on  the  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary, April,  July  and  October  of  each  year  by  the  secretary  of  the  treasure, 
upon  the  warrant  of  the  secretary  of  agriculture,  out  of  the  treasury  of  the 
United  States,  to  the  treasurer  or  other  officer  duly  appointed  by  the  gov- 
erning boards  of  said  experiment  stations  to  receive  the  same,  and  such  offi- 
cers shall  be  required  to  report  to  the  secretary  of  agriculture  on  or  before 
the  first  day  of  September  of  each  year  a  detailed  statement  of  the  amount 
so  received  and  of  its  disbursements,  on  schedules  prescribed  by  the  secre- 
tary of  ag'riculture.  The  grants  of  money  authorized  by  this  act  are  made 
subject  to  legislative  assent  of  the  several  states  and  territories  to  the  pur- 
pose of  said  grants :  Provided,  That  payments  of  such  installments  of  the 
appropriation  herein  made  as  shall  become  due  to  any  state  and  territory 
before  the  adjournment  of  the  regular  session  of  legislature  meeting  next 
after  the  passing  of  the  act  shall  be  made  upon  the  assent  of  the  governor 
thereof,  duly  certified  by  the  secretary  of  the  treasury. 

Sec.  3.  That  if  any  portion  of  the  moneys  received  by  the  designated 
officer  of  any  state  or  territory  for  the  further  and  more  complete  endow- 
ment, support,  and  maintenance  of  agricultural  experiment  stations  as  pro- 
vided in  this  act  shall  by  any  action  or  contingency  be  diminished  or  lost 
or  be  misapplied,  it  shall  be  replaced  by  such  state  or  territory  to  which  it 
belongs,  and  until  so  replaced  no  subsequent  appropriation  shall  be  appor- 
tioned or  paid  to  such  state  or  territory;  and  no  portion  of  said  moneys 
exceeding  five  per  centum  of  each  annual  appropriation  shall  be  applied 
directly  or  indirectly,  under  any  pretense  whatever,  to  the  purchase,  erec- 
tion, preservation,  or  repair  of  any  building  or  buildings,  or  to  the  pur- 
chase or  rental  of  land.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  of  said  stations  annu- 
ally, on  or  before  the  first  day  of  February,  to  make  the  governor  of  the 
state  or  territory  in  which  it  is"  located  a  full  and  detailed  report  of  its 
operations,  including  a  statement  of  receipts  and  expenditures,  a  copy  of 
which  report  shall  be  sent  to  each  of  said  stations,  to  the  secretary  of  agri- 
culture, and  to  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States. 

Sec.  4.     That  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  July  in  each  year   after  the 


172  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

passage  of  this  act  the  secretary  of  agriculture  shall  ascertain  and  certify  to 
the  secretary  of  the  treasury  as  to  each  state  and  territory  whether  it  is  com- 
plying with  the  provisions  of  this  act  and  is  entitled  to  receive  its  share  of 
the  annual  appropriation  for  agricultural  experiment  stations  under  this 
act  and  the  amount  which  thereupon  each  is  entitled,  respectively,  to  receive. 
If  the  secretary  of  agriculture  shall  withhold  a  certificate  from  any  state  or 
territory  of  its  appropriation,  the  facts  and  reasons  thereof  shall  be  reported 
to  the  president  and  the  amount  involved  shall  be  kept  separate  in  the  treas- 
ury until  the  next  Congress  is  in  order,  that  the  state  or  territory  may,  if  it 
shall  so  desire,  appeal  to  Congress  from  the  determination  of  the  secretary  of 
agriculture.  If  the  next  Congress  shall  not  direct  the  sum  to  be  paid,  it 
shall  be  covered  into  the  treasury  ;  and  the  secretary  of  agriculture  is  hereby 
charged  with  the  proper  administration  of  the  law. 

Sec.  5.  That  the  secretary  of  agriculture  shall  make  an  annual  report  to 
Congress  on  the  receipts  and  expenditures  and  work  of  the  agriculture 
experiment  station  in  all  of  the  states  and  territories,  and  also  whether  the 
appropriation  of  any  state  or  territory  has  been  withheld ;  and  if  so,  the 
reason  thereof. 

Sec.  6.  That  Congress  may  at  any  time  amend,  suspend  or  repeal  any 
or  all  of  the  provisions  of  this  act. 

RECENT    WORK    OF    THE    EXPERIMENT    STATION. 

In  July,  1908,  Dr.  C.  W.  Burkett,  who  had  been  director  of  the 
Experiment  Station  for  two  years,  left  to  accept  the  more  re- 
munerative position  of  editor-in-chief  of  the  Orange  Judd  Publish- 
ing Company,  of  New  York,  and  Vice- Director  Dr.  J.  T.  Willard 
became  once  more  acting  director,  till  in  December,  1908,  he  was 
relieved  by  the  election  of  Prof.  Ed.  H.  Webster,  M.  S.,  chief  of 
the  Dairy  Division  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C.  A  biographical  sketch  of  Professor  Webster  will  be  found  in 
this  chapter.  Among  the  special  work  of  Doctor  Burkett  may  be 
mentioned  his  trip,  in  the  summer  of  1907,  to  Turkey  and  southern 
Russia  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  methods  of  the  European 
wheat  farmers,  the  qualities  of  the  wheat  raised  in  those  countries, 
and  of  making  arrangements  for  the  purchase  of  large  quantities 
of  seed  wheat  for  the  wheat  growers  of  Kansas.  The  trip  was 
made  in  response  to  an  act  of  the  legislature,  approved  March  9, 
1907,  appropriating  $2500  for  the  purpose.  A  similar  trip  was 
made  by  Prof.  A.  M.  TenEyck,  who  went  to  Alberta,  Canada,  and 
by  Prof.  H.  P.  Roberts,  who  in  the  following  year  visited  the  Dan- 
ube countries,  Italy,  and  Germany.  These  trips,  however,  were 
practically  without  results  because  conditions  did  not  allow  time 
enough  to  procure,  import  and  distribute  the  seed  wheat  between 
the  harvests  in  Europe  and  the  time  of  sowing  wheat  in  Kansas. 

There  was,  however,  much  improved  Kansas  seed  distrib- 
uted during  the  past  four  years.     The  Agronomy  Department 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L78 

sold,  practically  at  cost,  nearly  1000  bushels  of  such  seed  of  tin- 
best  producing  varieties  of  winter  wheat,,  1500  bushels  of  seed 
corn,  800  bushels  of  seed  oats,  550  bushels  of  seed  barley,  and 
smaller  quantities  of  eramer,  rye,  ilax,  millet,  cow-peas,  soy-beans, 
Kafir-corn,  broom-corn,  'sorghum,  etc.,  or  a  total  of  about  7500 
bushels.  This  does  not  include  the  seed  distributed  by  the  Ft. 
Hays  Branch  Experiment  Station,  which  during  the  same  interval 
distributed  nearly  as  much  seed  wheat  and  several  hundred 
bushels  of  seed-corn,  Kafir-corn,  and  other  seed-grains.  Most  of 
the  seed  which  was  distributed  was  simply  purified  samples  of 
some  of  the  best  producing  varieties  as  shown  by  the  experi- 
mental tests,  but  even  this  seed  was  far  superior  to  the  average 
seed  grown  in  the  State,  as  shown  by  the  comparative  tests  at  the 
Station  and  by  the  reports  of  farmers.  For  instance,  as  reported 
in  Bulletin  144,  one  of  the  improved  varieties  of  winter  wheat  on 
the  College  farm  actually  produced  a  net  profit  of  over  twenty 
dollars  ($20)  per  acre  in  three  years  above  that  produced  by  com- 
mon "scrub"  wheat,  of  the  same  type,  and  similar  results  weie 
secured  with  oats,  barley,  etc. 

With  corn,  Kafir-corn  and  sorghum,  greater  improvement  was 
accomplished  than  with  small  grains,  since  with  these  crops  care- 
ful selection  and  breeding  of  seed  was  practiced  with  certain 
varieties  which  had  proven  most  worthy,  as  shown  by  the  variety 
test.  The  Agronomy  Department  is  now  breeding  by  the  "head- 
row"  method  ten  varieties  of  corn,  two  varieties  of  Kafir-corn, 
four  varieties  of  sorghum,  and  one  variety  of  milo  maize,  and 
much  of  the  seed  of  these  varieties  was  really  pedigreed  seed,  or 
the  product  of  selected  ears  or  heads  taken  from  the  highest  pro- 
ducing ear-test  rows.     (See  Bulletin  147  on  Corn  Breeding.) 

Special  mention  should  be  made  of  the  work  of  the  Department 
of  Botany  in  seed  breeding  for  the  improvement  of  varieties  of 
wheat  and  alfalfa.  Prof.  Herbert  F.  Roberts  has  done  and  is  do- 
ing more  extensive  and  scientific  work  in  these  lines  than  any 
other  investigator  in  the  country,  and  the  College  has  the  best  col- 
lection of  seeds  for  the  purpose  of  comparing  varieties  outside  of 
Washington,  D.  C.  Professor  TenEyck  is  carrying  on  a  variety 
of  tests  of  soils,  of  fertilizers,  and  methods  of  cultivation,  and 
has  done  much  work  in  improving  corn  and  grains.  The  Veteri- 
nary Department  is  investigating  moulds  and  smuts  and  their  ef- 
fect on  stock.  It  is  also  making  investigations  of  contagious 
diseases,  such  as  hog-cholera,  tuberculosis,  and  abortion.  The 
Chemistry  Department  is  investigating  the  protein  contents  of 
alfalfa  in  its  various  stages  of  growth.     It  is  also  making  analyses 


174  KANSAS   STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

of  feeds,  milling  tests,  and  hatching  tests.  The  work  of  the 
Horticulture  Department  has  been  much  broadened  by  an  act  of 
the  legislature,  passed  in  February,  1909,  turning  over  to  the  Col- 
lege all  the  former  experimental  State  plantations  of  forest  trees 
at  Ogallah  and  Dodge,  and  by  the  establishment  of  a  State  for- 
ester's office  at  the  College.  The  Regents  at  their  April  meeting 
of  the  present  year  have  elected  Prof.  Albert  Dickens,  of  the 
Horticulture  Department,  to  fill  this  important  office.  It  is  not 
possible  to  mention  here  the  many  lines  of  scientific  and  practical 
investigations  carried  on  by  the  different  investigators  of  the  staff 
of  the  Experiment  Station. 

DIRECTOR   ED.    H.    WEBSTER. 

Ed.  H.  Webster,  M.  S.,  the  present  director  of  the  Experiment 
Station,  is  a  graduate  and  postgraduate  of  the  Kansas  State  Agri- 
cultural College.  He  entered  the  freshman  class  in  1889,  re- 
mained one  year,  then  worked  on  the  parental  farm  two  years, 
then  reentered  again  and  continued  for  four  years,  graduating  in 
1896  with  the  degree  of  B.  S.  The  last  three  years  he  specialized 
in  lines  of  mechanical  engineering  and  was  compelled  by  circum- 
stances to  earn  his  way  by  working  in  the  shops. 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1896  he  worked  in  Chicago  with 
the  Aer motor  Company  in  their  experimental  department.  He 
then  entered  the  Central  Business  College  at  Sedalia,  Mo.,  and 
later  accepted  a  position  in  Denver,  Colo.,  with  the  school  for  poor 
boys.  He  then  returned  to  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College 
as  a  postgraduate  student  and  began  work  in  dairying.  From 
here  he  accepted  a  position  as  helper  in  a  creamery  at  Meriden, 
Kan.,  at  $25  a  month,  but  kept  up  his  work  at  the  College  as  a  post- 
graduate student.  He  had  then  fully  made  up  his  mind  that 
practical  experience  must  be  gained  before  success  can  be 
achieved,  and  in  taking  up  work  with  this  creamery  company  he 
did  so  with  the  understanding  that  he  was  to  be  placed  in  a  posi- 
tion where  he  could  gain  experience,  regardless  of  what  the 
salary  might  be. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  creamery  company  sent  him  to 
Ames,  Iowa,  for  the  special  course  in  dairying  that  was  offered  at 
that  time.  He  remained  there  about  four  weeks  at  the  expense  of 
the  company  and  returned  to  the  Meriden  creamery  as  head  man, 
with  a  salary  of  $75  a  month.  The  next  ten  months  brought 
about  a  complete  change  in  the  organization  of  the  company,  head- 
quarters being  removed  to  Kansas  City  and  consolidated  with 
other  creameries. 


KANSAS    STAT 


AGRICULTURAL  COLLKGK 


it:. 


From  here  he  went  to  [owa  State  Agricultural  College  Cor  the 
purpose  of  completing  the  agricultural  course  and  at  the  same 
time  earning  his  way  as  a  dairy  assistant.  He  had  charge  of  the 
details  of  the  business  management  of  the  college  creamery, 
taught  classes, and  was  given  the  degree  of  B.  Ag.,  in  June,  L901. 

About  this  time  the  Continental  Creamery  Company  of  Topeka, 


Director  Ed.   H.  W 


Kan. ,  was  looking  for  a  man  to  take  charge  of  the  expert  work  in 
their  factory,  and  Mr.  Webster  was  employed  at  $100  a  month. 
In  less  than  four  weeks  he  was  made  general  superintendent  in 
charge  of  all  the  buttermaking  operations,  which  produced  per 
day  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  pounds  of  the  "Meadow  Gold." 

In  the  meantime  various  changes  in  the  division  of  work  and 
the  personnel  of  the  Faculty  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege had  occurred,  and  the  Board  of  Regents  created  a  Dairy  De- 
partment. A  special  committee  of  the  Regents  came  to  Topeka 
and  insisted  that  the  Continental  Creamery  Company  release  him, 
which  was  finally  done,  and  he  came  to  Manhattan  as  assistant 
professor  in  dairying  in  full  charge  of  the  Dairy  Department, 
September  15,  1901,  remaining  here  till  March,  1903.  The  last 
few  months  his  title  had  been  changed  to  professor. 


176  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Iii  the  winter  of  1902,  Prof.  R.  A.  Pierson,  assistant  chief  of  the 
Dairy  Division  at  Washington,  D.  C,  resigned,  and  examinations 
were  offered  by  the  Civil  Service  Commission  to  secure  a  register 
of  names  from  which  a  new  assistant  chief  could  be  selected.  At 
the  same  time  the  Civil  Service  Commission  offered  an  examina- 
tion for  inspector  of  renovated  butter  factories.  Mr.  Webster 
took  both  of  these  examinations.  Amongst  those  who  were  com- 
petitors were  Prof.  D.  H.  Otis  and  E.  H.  Farrington,  now  of  the 
University  of  Wisconsin,  Prof.  Oscar  Erf,  now  of  the  University 
of  Ohio,  Prof.  A.  L.  Haecker,  of  the  University  of  Nebraska,  Prof. 
C.  B.  Lane,  then  of  the  Agricultural  College  of  New  Jersey,  and 
Professor  Hay  ward,  now  director  of  the  Experiment  Station  of 
Delaware.  Mr.  Webster  had  the  good  fortune  to  stand  second  in 
the  examination  for  assistant  chief  against  all  of  this  competition. 
About  this  time  there  had  been  a  demand  made  on  Secretary  Wil- 
son for  some  research  work  in  Kansas,  along  the  lines  of  pasteuri- 
zation and  shipping  of  cream,  and  it  was  decided  to  offer  Mr. 
Webster  this  work.  He  was  given  his  choice  of  going  to  Wash- 
ington as  assistant  chief  in  the  Division,  or  assuming  responsibili- 
ties in  the  other  field.  He  chose  the  latter  at  a  salary  of  $2000  per 
year  and  began  work  for  the  department  on  April  1,  1903. 

During  the  course  of  this  work,  the  results  of  which  have  been 
published  in  a  bulletin  by  the  Dairy  Division,  he  came  in  constant 
contact  with  many  things  in  relation  to  the  centralizing  of  the 
creamery  business,  and  found  that  it  was  practically  impossible 
for  him  at  that  time  to  get  the  facts  desired.  He  told  the  secre- 
tary frankly  of  the  condition  of  things,  and  accepted,  in  January, 
1904,  the  position  as  company  superintendent  of  the  Littleton 
Creamery  Company,  in  Denver,  Colo.  During  that  year  Major 
Henry  Alvord  died  in  St.  Louis  while  on  duty  connected  with  the 
awarding  of  prizes  at  the  World's  Pair.  This  left  a  vacancy  at 
the  head  of  the  Dairy  Division  in  Washington,  and  Mr.  Webster, 
when  making  a  Christmas  visit  at  Randolph,  Kan.,  with  the  par- 
ents of  his  wife,  received  a  telegram  from  the  capital  that  he  had 
been  appointed  chief  of  the  Division  and  that  he  should  proceed  to 
Washington  at  once. 

The  professor  modestly  stated  to  the  writer  of  these  paragraphs 
that  there  was  probably  a  good  deal  of  disappointment  on  the  part 
of  some  parties  over  his  selection,  as  he  was  practically  unknown 
outside  of  Iowa,  Kansas  and  Colorado  at  that  time.  His  previous 
experience  as  an  agent  for  the  Division  had  not  impressed  him 
strongly  with  the  desirability  of  a  government  position,  and  it  was 
well  known  that  the  work  of  the  Division,  up  to  that  time,  had 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  177 

been  practically  that  of  an  editorial  bureau,  carrying  on   little,  or 
no    investigations,    and    that   the    work'    of    the    Division    was    (lis 
credited  to  a  large  extent  by  the  dairymen  of  the  counl  r.v. 

But  ho  went  to  Washington,  I).  C,  in  January,  L905,  to  assume 
the  duties  of  the  office,  with  Mr.  Lane  as  assistant,  determined  to  do 
his  best.  One  stenographer  and  two  clerks  were  in  the  office,  four- 
men  were  employed  annually  as  inspectors  of  renovated  butter 
factories,  and  three  or  four  employed  on  a  per  diem  basis  for 
similar  work.  He  found  a  number  of  other  things  that  were  some- 
what of  a  surprise  to  him.  One  was  that  the  chief  of  the  Division 
had,  in  times  past,  been  expected  to  spend  a  good  deal  of  his  time 
in  other  work,  probably  because  it  was  thought  by  those  in  charge 
that  there  was  not  enough  work  in  dairying  to  keep  one  man  busy. 

His  first  work,  after  learning  some  routine  of  government  red 
tape,  was  to  look  about  and  see  what  the  great  problems  in  dairy- 
ing were  that  might  be  taken  up  by  the  Department.  The  first 
month  he  was  hunting  for  work  to  keep  himself  busy,  but  before 
the  end  of  the  year  he  had  added  several  men  to  the  office  force 
who  were  taking  special  lines  of  work.  In  a  very  short  time  the 
tables  turned  and  he  was  hunting  for  men  and  money  to  do  the 
work  that  waited  to  be  done. 

On  leaving  the  office,  December  22,  1908,  there  were  on  the  rolls 
of  the  Dairy  Division  seventy-five  regular  employes  devoting  all 
their  time  to  investigation,  education,  and  office  work.  Appro- 
priations for  the  office  had  increased  from  the  sum  of  less  than 
$20,000  the  first  year  to  $140,000  for  the  year  ending  June,  1909. 
This  great  growth  of  the  work  of  the  Division  was  due  mainly  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  a  great  need  for  development  along  dairy  lines 
and  that  few  mistakes  were  made  in  the  selection  of  men  to  carry 
out  new  lines  of  work.  Every  man  in  the  Dairy  Division  was  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  his  success  depended  upon  his  own  ef- 
forts, and  that  he  would  get  full  credit  for  all  that  he  could  accom- 
plish. There  was  always  a  spirit  of  hearty  cooperation  between 
the  various  offices  of  the  Division,  and  when  it  came  to  actually 
making  the  change  from  the  Dairy  Division  back  to  the  College  at 
Manhattan  the  pleasant  associations  there  with  the  employes  of 
the  Division  made  it  hard  for  him  to  give  up  that  work.  He  felt, 
however,  that  as  far  as  he  was  personally  concerned  he  had  se- 
cured nearly  all  of  the  experience  that  could  be  gained  in  that  po- 
sition. The  opportunity  came  for  him  to  take  up  the  work  of  dean 
and  director  in  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  and  he  felt 
that  it  should  not  be  turned  down. 

A  year  previous  to  that  time  the  Regents  of  the  College  had, 


178  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

without  consulting  him,  elected  him  professor  of  dairying.  They 
based  their  action  on  a  chance  suggestion  that  he  made  to  one  of 
the  members  of  the  Faculty,  never  expecting  that  they  would 
take  action  until  they  had  consulted  with  him  themselves.  He 
could  not  at  that  time  see  his  way  clear  to  take  up  dairy  work 
other  than  he  was  doing  in  Washington.  The  situation,  however, 
was  quite  different  when  he  was  offered  the  position  as  dean  and 


Seed  House. 

director  of  the  Station  and  Agricultural  Department  of  the  College. 
This  line  of  work  opens  up  a  field  of  great  opportunities  for  future 
growth  and  development. 

ITS   MISSION. 

The  Experiment  Station  has  a  great  mission  to  perform,  broader 
than  that  of  solving  the  scientific  problems  relating  to  applied 
plant  life  and  animal  life.  It  must  ultimately  concern  itself,  too, 
with  the  life  problems  of  the  farmer  and  his  family.  In  a  recent 
address  by  Doctor  True  on  "The  Broad  Outlook  of  the  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Stations,"  he  declared  that  the  proper  field  of 
the  experiment  station  lies  along  educational  lines  and  that  it  must 
be  filled  for  the  benefit  of  the  village  and  urban  residents  as  well 
as  the  farmers.     He  said: 

"With  their  existing  financial  limitations,  the  stations  have 
properly  given  their  attention  principally  to  the  needs  of  our  large 
agricultural  industries,  but  they  have  also  done  much  which  is  of 
use  to  village  and  city  people,  and  they  will  undoubtedly  enlarge 


KANSAS  STATE   A.GIUCULTURAL  COLLEGE  171) 

their  work  in  this  direction  as  time  goes  on  and  funds  increase. 
The  farmers  need  have  no  fear  that  the  stations  will  forget  them  or 
neglect  their  interests,  but  should  rather  rejoice  that  in  the 
stations  they  have  a  powerful  agency  for  bringing  city  people  into 
closer  sympathy  with  rural  people.  Already  the  work  of  the 
stations  has  created  an  entirely  new  agricultural  literature,  and 
.  .  .  laid  the  foundations  for  a  sound  agricultural  pedagogy, 
and  .  .  .  they  must  ever  supply  the  new  materials  by  which  the 
courses  can  be  strengthened  and  improved.  But  their  work  has  a 
far  more  fundamental  and  far-reaching  purpose;  namely,  to  make 
agriculture  a  progressive  industry  and  the  masses  of  agricultural 
workers  progressive  men.  Many  plans  for  rural  improvement 
have  been  made  by  philanthropists  and  statesmen,  but  they  have 
largely  been  failures  because  they  were  imposed  on  the  unwilling 
minds  and  hearts  of  unprogressive  people.  But  if  the  rural 
people  themselves  awake  and  make  their  plans  of  improvement 
we  may  surely  expect  wonderful  things.  As  an  arouser  of  desire 
for  improvement  and  a  stimulator  to  intelligent  effort  to  make  the 
country  a  better  place  to  live  and  work  in,  the  agricultural  experi- 
ment station  has  its  chief  importance  and  its  highest  mission. 
And  it  is  for  this  service  that  the  stations  especially  commend 
themselves  to  all  the  friends  of  rural  progress,  for  if  these  foun- 
tains of  new  knowledge  are  kept  strong  and  pure  their  waters  will 
spring  up  forever  to  replenish  the  life  of  countless  generations  of 
rural  people." 


Auditorium. 


180  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


XVI. 

FARMERS'  INSTITUTES  — EARLY  INSTITUTES  CONDUCTED  BY  THE  COLLEGE  - 
SUMMER  INSTITUTES  -STATE  AID-SUPT.  J.  H.  MILLER  AND  HIS  WORK- 
RAILROAD  INSTITUTES— COLLEGE  EXTENSION  WORK. 

F^ROM  its  organization  in  1863,  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College  has  recognized  the  farmers'  institute  as  a  means  for 
disseminating  facts  and  methods  pertaining  to  agriculture  and 
horticulture  among  those  directly  interested.  Conventions  of  the 
farmers  of  the  vicinity  of  Manhattan  were  held  at  the  College 
every  few  months  as  far  back  as  1864.  The  first  well  organized 
and  properly  reported  farmers'  institute  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Faculty  was  held  in  Manhattan  November  14,  1868.  This  was 
followed  by  a  similar  institute  November  20  and  21  in  Wabaun- 
see. In  the  early  seventies  several  institutes  were  held  at  the 
College  covering  from  three  to  five  days,  attended  by  such  spe- 
cialists as  Chas.  V.  Riley,  Dr.  W.  H.  Howsley,  Joseph  Bushman, 
"Wm.  Muir,  and  the  editors  Murtefeld  and  Coleman  of  Colemans* 
Rural  World. 

A  belated  account  of  the  institute  held  at  Manhattan  in  1868 
appeared  in  the  Manhattan  Standard  for  December  5,  1868,  and  is 
as  follows : 

farmers'  institute. 

The  Union  Agricultural  Society  met  in  the  County  Hall,  Man- 
hattan, November  14,  1868,  at  10  A.  M.,  and  was  called  to  order  by 
the  president,  Professor  Hougham,  and  opened  with  prayer  by 
Rev.  R.  D.  Parker. 

The  first  business  was  an  address  by  President  Denison,  of  the 
Agricultural  College.  His  theme,  "The  Relation  of  the  College  to 
the  Agricultural  Interests  of  the  State,"  was  carefully  and  skill- 
fully developed.  Much  valuable  history  of  the  origin  and  endow- 
ment of  industrial  schools  was  given,  and  their  vital  relation  to 
the  welfare  of  the  State  clearly  shown.  The  address  was  replete 
with  scientific  facts  and  practical  hints,  and  we  hope  it  may 
appear  in  print. 

It  was  followed  by  an  interesting  discussion  upon  topics  sug- 
gested by  the  address,  Messrs.  Piatt,  Denison,  Gove,  Gale,  Pierce, 
Marlatt  and  Parrish  participating. 

The  discussion  was  followed  by  a  lecture  from  Professor 
Mudge  on  "Tree  Borers,"  showing  there  were  over  one  hundred 
varieties  now  known  in  this  country,  and  tracing  the  most  destruc- 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  1*1 

tive  through  their  varied  forms  of  existence,  and  making  known 

the  time  and  manner  of  waging  war  upon  them  if  we  would  save 
our  fruit.  In  this  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of 
cure.  This  lecture  was  illustrated  by  specimens  of  the  insects 
and  sections  of  trees  destroyed  by  them. 

The  professor  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  for  two  beautiful 
cases  of  insects  that  he  exhibited  to  Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Wells,  who 
has  a  splendid  collection  of  over  three  hundred  varieties  well 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  all  lovers  of  nature. 

This  lecture  was  followed  by  a  brief  but  spirited  discussion, 
Messrs.  Gove,  Pierce,  Piatt,  Denison  and  Marlatt  taking  part. 
The  society  then  took  a  recess  until  2  p.  m. 

In  the  afternoon  the  first  exercise  was  a  carefully  prepared 
and  thoroughly  practical  address  by  Rev.  Mr.  Gale,  on  "Forest 
Tree  Culture,"  illustrated  by  sections  of  various  kinds  of  trees 
grown  here,  showing  that  a  great  variety  of  forest  trees  may  be 
successfully  grown,  and  what  varieties  are  most  valuable,  both  for 
windbreak  and  timber.  He  also  discussed  the  treatment  and 
planting  of  seed  and  the  manner  of  cultivating,  and  stated  some 
startling  facts  of  the  profit  of  tree  planting.  Messrs.  Mudge, 
Marlatt  and  Little  followed  in  brief  speeches,  stating  many  im- 
portant and  interesting  facts. 

Geo.  T.  Anthony,  editor  of  the  Kansas  Farmer,  being  present, 
was  called  up  and  made  one  of  those  finished  and  magnetic 
speeches  which  so  few  men  know  how  to  make.  It  was  packed  so 
full  of  humor,  fact  and  argument  that  the  reporter  forgot  his 
pencil.  I  wish  that  all  the  farmers  of  Western  Kansas  could  have 
heard  it. 

Professor  Hougham  followed  with  a  pointed  and  pithy  lecture 
on  the  "Economy  of  the  Farm."  If  its  lessons  could  be  heard  and 
heeded  many  thousands  of  dollars  could  be  saved  by  our  farmers. 

And  thus  closed  a  meeting  of  great  interest  and  value,  the  only 
regret  being  that  more  were  not  profited  by  its  teachings. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  society  will  be  held  on  Saturday, 
December  12.     Subject,  "Small  Fruits. " 

There  has  been  some  controversy  as  to  who  originated  the  idea 
of  organizing  farmers'  institutes  in  Kansas  and  in  the  United 
States.  Prof.  E.  Gale,  in  letters  written  from  Florida  to  Pro- 
fessors Willard  and  Walters,  claimed  the  honor  of  having  made  the 
first  suggestion  to  the  Board  of  Regents,  when  a  member  of  that 
body,  to  interest  the  farmers  in  the  work  of  the  College  by  hold- 
ing farmers'  institutes.     Mr.  Gale  in  fact  believed  that  the  Kan- 


182  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

sas  State  Agricultural  College  was  the  very  first  that  system- 
atically organized  such  farmers'  meetings.  Governor  Glick  is 
often  quoted  as  the  one  who  offered  the  first  resolution  before  the 
Board  to  hold  institutes  in  other  parts  of  the  State.  The  records 
of  the  Board  contain  a  resolution  by  him,  made  June  23,  1868, 
which  was  unanimously  adopted.     It  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  that  a  system  of  lecturing  on  agricultural  subjects  at 
this  College  and  in  populous  settlements  of  the  several  counties  of 
the  State  should  be  continued,  so  that  the  benefits  of  farming 
according  to  correct  agricultural  principles  may  be  disseminated 
throughout  the  State. 

During  Anderson's  presidency  nothing  was  done  in  this  direc- 
tion, but  upon  the  election  of  President  Fairchild,  who  had  been 
intimately  associated  with  the  farmers 'institute  work  of  Michigan 
and  highly  appreciated  its  value  to  the  farming  population,  the 
College  at  once  arranged  for  the  holding  of  at  least  six  institutes  a 
year  in  as  many  different  counties  in  the  State.  A  few  years 
later  the  number  was  increased  to  eight,  and  still  later  to  ten.  A 
permanent  Faculty  committee  was  appointed  to  make  arrange- 
ments with  parties  interested,  and  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm 
within  and  without  the  institution  became  manifest  with  regard 
to  this  practical  work.  The  first  regular  institute  in  which  the 
writer  of  this  took  an  active  part  was  held  at  Clay  Center  in  the 
spring  of  1882.  It  was  attended  by  several  specialists  and  news- 
paper reporters,  and  by  Maj.  W.  Sims,  of  Topeka,  who  at  that 
time  was  secretary  of  the  Kansas  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

STATE  AID. 

In  the  early  nineties  the  state  of  Wisconsin  inaugurated  a  new 
movement  by  establishing  farmers'  institutes  in  every,  senatorial 
district  and  paying  for  this  work  by  a  special  legislative  appropri- 
ation of  $12,000  per  year.  Minnesota  followed  by  appropriating 
$13,500  annually,  Pennsylvania  by  giving  $15,000,  and  New  York 
by  setting  aside  an  equal  sum  for  this  purpose,  while  Ohio  de- 
cided to  raise  by  county  tax  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $200  for  each 
county.  This  liberality  towards  the  farmers'  institute  incited 
prolonged  discussions  in  the  press  of  Kansas,  with  the  result  that 
in  1899,  '01,  '03  and  '05  the  legislature  appropriated  $2000  per 
year  for  this  purpose,  thus  enabling  the  College  to  greatly  in- 
crease and  systematize  its  work.  Localities  could  now  be  visited 
in  all  parts  of  the  State.  Between  July  1,  1890,  and  July  1,  1897, 
the  Agricultural  College  held  118  institutes  at  an  average  cost  of 
$18.93,  while  in  1900- '01  the  cost  had  been  reduced  to  an  average 


KANSAS   STATE    ACKK'I'l/ri'KAl,   COLLEGE 


183 


of  $12.82.    The  following  table  gives  the  figures  lor  the  decade 
from  1890  to  L900. 

FARMERS'  [NSTITUTES. 


Year. 

Number. 

1890-'9I 

li 

17 

22 
19 
30 
63 
136 
156 

1891  -'92   

l892-'93 

l893-'94 

l894-'95 

I895~'96 

1896-'97 

1897-1)8 

1898-'99 

1899-'00 

1900-'01  

Total  <  !osl . 


*  254.83 
251.79 
264.01 
342.12 

398.10 
336.81 
386.56 
489.94 

46-1.84 
2000.00 

2000.00 


818.74 

21.00 
■in  12 
18.10 
15.31 
20.34 
16.33 
7.49 
14.70 
12.82 


The  cheapening  per  institute  of  the  expenses  in  1898-'99  was  due 
to  the  reduction  of  the  College  delegations  from  three  members  to 
one  or  two  and  the  arranging  of  circuits  along  railroad  lines. 

SUMMER  INSTITUTES. 

Up  to  1897- '98,  the  institutes  were  usually  held  during  the  win- 
ter months,  but  in  that  year  the  so-called  summer  picnic  institute 
was  inaugurated.  Professor  Cottrell  favored  this  change  and  the 
results  proved  more  satisfactory  than  had  been  anticipated.  He 
held  that  in  the  winter  the  weather  is  often  too  cold  and  the  roads 
are  too  bad  for  the  farmers  to  leave  their  homes;  that  the  members 
of  the  Faculty  have  but  little  time  to  be  away  from  their  classes; 
that  the  students  cannot  assist  in  working  up  attendance,  and  that 
the  social  features,  such  as  basket  dinners,  exhibitions  of  farm 
products,  etc.,  are  not  as  likely  to  be  successful.  The  attendance 
at  some  of  the  picnic  institutes  held  during  this  period  often 
reached  the  thousand  mark,  and  gatherings  of  less  than  four  hun- 
dred were  very  rare.  Other  members  of  the  Faculty,  however, 
were  not  so  certain  that  the  picnic  institute  was  the  best  arrange- 
ment for  reaching  the  farmer.  In  an  article  published  in  the 
Industrialist,  Dr.  J.  T.  Willard  said: 

"The  value  of  an  institute  is  not  measured  by  the  number  of 
people  who  are  caused  to  assemble.  In  too  many  instances  picnic 
gatherings  or  celebrations  with  which  an  attempt  has  been  made 
to  include  a  farmers'  institute  have  been  total  failures  in  the  latter 
respect  because  of  the  disturbing  eifect  of  games  and  commercial 
enterprises.  It  is  possible  to  conduct  a  picnic  institute  success- 
fully, but  it  is  difficult  to  do  so.  Addresses  and  discussions  are 
always  presented  under  more  favorable  conditions  in  a  hall  than 
out-of-doors." 


184  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

COUNTY   AID. 

As  previously  stated,  in  1899  the  farmers'  institute  work  of  the 
College  was  assisted  by  the  State  legislature,  which,  following  the 
example  of  other  states,  appropriated  $2000  per  year  for  two 
years  for  this  purpose.  In  1901,  1903  and  1905  these  appropria- 
tions were  repeated,  and  after  that  date  considerably  increased. 
The  totals  expended  by  the  College  for  this  purpose  in  1905- '06 
was  $2668.36,  in  1906-'07  $3788.42,  in  1907-'08  $6485.52,  and  in 
1908-'09  $8200.00.  The  State,  appreciating  the  effective  work  of 
the  Farmers'  Institute  Department,  also  aided  the  College 
through  the  counties  where  institute  organizations  existed.  A 
law  was  passed  in  1903,  making  it  the  duty  of  each  county  having 
a  county  farmers'  institute  organization  to  appropriate  $50  for  the 
purpose  of  assisting  in  paying  the  expenses  of  an  annual  two- 
days'  institute.     The  law  read  as  follows: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

SECTION  1.  Whenever  any  county  farmers'  institute  association  in  this 
State  shall  have  elected  president,  vice-president,  secretary  and  treasurer, 
and  adopted  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  its  government,  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  county  commissioners  of  such  county  to  appropriate  annually 
the  sum  of  fifty  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  to  defray 
the  legitimate  expenses  of  a  two-days'  institute  at  such  place  in  the  county 
as  may  be  designated  by  the  executive  committee  of  the  institute  association; 
provided,  that  this  act  shall  not  apply  to  institute  associations  that  have  not 
been  in  successful  operation  at  least  one  year. 

Sec.  2.  This  act  shall  be  in  force  from  and  after  its  publication  in  the 
statute-book. 

This  law  greatly  increased  the  means  for  extending  the  efforts 
of  the  College.  In  October,  1905,  the  Board  of  Regents  decided 
to  push  the  farmers'  institute  work  into  every  county  in  the  State. 
Mr.  J.  H.  Miller,  formerly  the  editor  of  the  Holton  Tribune,  was 
employed  as  State  institute  superintendent,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  he  was  to  maintain  an  office  at  the  College  and  devote  his 
whole  time  to  the  extension  of  this  work.  During  that  year  155  in- 
stitutes were  held,  and  during  the  next  year  135,  and  this  number 
has  been  increased  every  year  to  date. 

In  1909  the  legislature  came  to  the  aid  of  the  College  by  giving 
the  Farmers'  Institute  Department  a  special  appropriation  of 
$25,000  for  the  year  1909-'10,  and  $27,500  for  the  year  1910-'ll, 
and  by  passing  a  law  authorizing  counties  having  an  institute  or- 
ganization to  appropriate  additional  $15  for  each  local  institute 
held  during  the  year.  The  law  is  simply  an  amendment  to  that 
passed  in  1903.     It  adds  the  following  provisions  and  sections : 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


L8; 


Section  I.  .  .  .  Provided  further,,  that  no  county  Institute  shall  be 
granted  anj  sum  in  excess  of  one  dollar  for  each  resident  farmer  who  is  a 
bona  Bde  member  of  said  institute  at  the  time  the  request  is  made,  the  total 
amount  granted  not  to  exceed  fifty  dollars  in  a  in  one  year. 

Sec.  2.  Whenever  in  any  county  a  local  institute  shall  be  organized,  by 
or  with  the  approval  of  the  State  Farmers'  Institute  Department  of  the  Kan- 
sas State  Agricultural  College,  and  shall  have  elected  a  president,  vice- 
president,  and  secretary-treasurer,  and  adopted  a  constitution  and  by-laws 


Supt.  J.  H.  Miller. 


for  its  government,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  county  commissioners  of  such 
county  to  appropriate  annually  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars,  or  so  much  thereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  to  defray  the  legitimate  expenses  of  a  two-session  insti- 
tute; provided,  that  this  act  shall  not  apply  to  institute  associations  that 
have  not  been  in  successful  operation  at  least  one  year;  provided  further, 
that  not  more  than  six  such  local  institute  associations  in  any  county  shall 
receive  such  aid  in  any  year;  provided  further,  that  no  local  institute  shall  be 
granted  any  sum  in  excess  of  one  dollar  for  each  resident  farmer  who  is  a 
bona  fide  member  of  said  institute  at  the  time  the  request  is  made,  the  total 
amount  not  to  exceed  fifteen  dollars  in  any  one  year. 

Sec.  3.  Each  and  every  institute  association  to  receive  said  appropria- 
tion shall  submit  with  each  request  for  aid  a  certificate  from  the  Department 
of  Institutes  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  certifying  that  the 

—13 


186  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

said  institute  is  legally  organized  and  has  held  its  annual  meeting-  as  above 
provided. 

Another  law  increasing  the  field  of  extension  work  of  the  Col- 
lege was  passed  in  1909.  It  authorizes  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners of  any  county  in  which  an  agricultural  demonstration 
farm  has  been  or  shall  hereafter  be  located  by  the  Board  of  Re- 
gents of  the  State  Agricultural  College  to  lease  or  donate  a  tract 
of  land  for  such  purpose  and  to  appropriate  money,  and  contract 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  same.     The  law  is  as  follows : 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Kansas: 

Section  1.  The  board  of  county  commissioners  of  any  county  in  this 
State  in  which  an  agricultural  demonstration  farm  has  been  or  shall  be  here- 
after located  with  the  consent  of  such  board  of  county  commissioners  by  the 
Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  Agricultural  College  is  hereby  authorized  to 
lease  or  donate  to  the  Board  of  Regents  of  said  College  any  portion  of  lands 
owned  by  said  county  not  exceeding  forty  acres  in  extent,  suitable  for  use  in 
demonstrating  the  value  of  crops  and  methods  in  farming,  gardening,  horti- 
culture and  forestry,  and  to  contract  for  the  carrying  on  of  such  demonstra- 
tion work  under  the  plans,  direction  and  supervision  of  representatives  of 
the  Board  of  Regents  of  said  College. 

Sec.  2.  All  work  upon  such  demonstration  farms  shall  be  planned  and 
supervised  by  representatives  of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  said  Agricultural 
College,  and  they  may  furnish  such  seeds  and  plants  at  reasonable  cost  on 
board  the  cars  at  Manhattan,  Kan.,  as  will  not  interfere  with  experimental 
work  done  at  the  College. 

Sec.  3.  County  commissioners  may  furnish  sufficient  help  and  proper 
teams,  tools,  and  materials,  other  than  seeds,  to  do  the  work  planned  by 
the  representatives  of  the  Board  of  Regents,  and  are  hereby  authorized  to 
pay  out  of  the  general  fund  the  cost  of  such  expense  and  work,  includ- 
ing traveling  expenses  of  supervisor,  the  total  cost  to  any  county  not 
to  exceed  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  the  first  year  nor  five  hundred  dollars 
in  any  other  year  thereafter. 

Sec  4.  Any  surplus  crops  grown  upon  such  demonstration  tracts  to  be 
the  property  of  the  county  in  which  it  is  located,  and  shall  be  sold  to  the 
citizens  thereof  when  desired  for  seed  or  propagation,  or  used  for  public 
institutions;  the  receipts  fro/m  such  sales  to  be  credited  to  the  farm. 

Sec  5.  That  it  may  be  known  what  is  planted,  methods  used  and  re- 
sults, each  plot  or  planting  shall  be  plainly  and  legibly  marked  for  informa- 
tion of  visitors  to  the  farm  and  the  representatives  of  the  Board  of  Regents 
of  said  College,  the  superintendents  of  said  farms  shall  furnish  data  for  a 
brief  printed  summary,  giving  the  results  in  amounts  and  values  at  usual 
market  prices  to  the  county  clerk  by  December  first  of  each  year,  who  shall 
have  same  printed  atid  give,  through  the  county  treasurer,  a  copy  of  the 
same  to  each  taxpayer  with  his  tax  receipt,  and  to  others  on  request,  and  to 
publish  same  in  the  official  paper  of  the  county. 

Sec  6.  This  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and  after  its 
publication  in  the  official  State  paper. 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


1*7 


RAILROAD    MEETINGS. 

The  first  series  of  railroad  circuit  fanners'  meetings  in  which 
the  College  furnished  the  principal  speakers  was  organized  by 
the  Blue  Valley  Creamery  Company.  These  meetings  were  held 
in  1904  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  chiefly  along  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific  Railroad,  and  were  attended  by  Prof.  Oscar  Erf,  his 
assistants,  and  some  members  of  the  Agronomy  Department. 
The  venture  proved  a  perfect  success  and  entailed  no  cash  ex- 


"  Railroad.  Institute  *'  at  Potter.  Kan. 


penses  on  the  College.  When  Supt.  J.  H.  Miller  took  charge  of 
the  Institute  Department  he  at  once  perceived  the  great  advan- 
tage of  fitting  up  a  train  and  visiting  the  farming  communities 
along  the  different  railroad  routes.  The  railroads  were  gen- 
erously willing  to  assist  the  College  in  this  good  work,  and  placed 
special  trains  at  his  disposal.  In  his  biennial  report  for  1907  and 
1908  he  gives  the  following  glowing  account  of  these  efforts : 

"Since  July  1,  1906,  we  have  had  splendid  cooperation  from 
several  roads.  In  August,  1906,  we  had  a  'wheat '  train  over  the 
southwestern  lines  of  the  Santa  Pe,  and  in  six  days  we  had  over 
7300  people  to  hear  the  lectures.  In  the  same  month  we  had  the 
cooperation  of  the  Union  Pacific  company  with  a  'wheat'  train 
over  their  western  lines,  and  in  four  days  the  attendance  was  over 
4000.  In  June,  1907,  the  industrial  department  of  the  Santa  Pe 
company  again  provided  an  educational  train — this  time  for  the 
promotion  of  alfalfa- growing  in  southeastern  Kansas,  where  we 


188 


KANSAS   STATE  AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


had,  in  six  days,  over  7000  people  to  hear  the  lectures.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1907,  the  industrial  department  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  com- 
pany provided  a  fine  exhibit  car  and  took  the  entire  1907  'State 
corn  show'  over  its  lines  in  southeastern  Kansas,  the  trip  con- 
tinuing for  two  weeks  and  reaching  eighteen  towns,  with  from 
one-half  day  to  a  day  at  each,  with  a  total  of  over  8000  visitors  to 
the  car  and  about  4000  to  attend  the  lectures.  Several  new  insti- 
tutes were  organized  on  this  trip.     In  the  fall  of  1905  a  special 


Farmers  waiting  for  the  institute  to  begin. 

train  was  conducted  over  the  entire  Rock  Island  system,  and  in 
that  same  year  work  was  carried  on  for  seven  weeks  in  cooperation 
with  the  industrial  department  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  company." 

COLLEGE   EXTENSION   WORK. 

The  Department  of  Farmers'  Institutes  and  Agricultural  Edu- 
cation Extension  was  organized  in  June,  1906.  Up  to  October, 
1905,  the  correspondence  with  farmers'  institute  organizations 
was  attended  to  by  professors,  and  speakers  were  sent  out  only 
on  request,  but  after  that  date  when  Mr.  J.  H.  Miller  was  put  in 
charge  of  the  work  it  was  decided  to  organize  a  permanent  county 
institute  in  every  county  and  as  many  local  institutes  as  the  popu- 
lation and  location  of  towns  would  justify.  He  soon  had  the  mat- 
ter of  organization  well  in  hand,  and  in  the  following  spring  he 
was  made  the  head  of  a  separate  department. 

In  1905  there  were  thirteen  permanent  farmers'  institutes  in 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L8Q 

the  State,  but  only  two  of  these  had  a  membership  lisl  and  neither 
had  a  membership  fee.  Enstitutes  had  been  held  in  probably 
more  than  half  the  counties,  but  few  permanent  organizations  lm<l 
been  Left  and  there  had  been  a  "dying  and  reviving"of  the  insti 
tute  idea.  In  May,  L909,  LOS  of  the  L05  counties  of  Kansas  had 
permanent  county  institutes,  and  there  were  I  II  Loca]  organiza 
tions,  each  with  constitution,  by-laws  and  officers,  and  all  but 
about  00  having  a  bona  tide  membership,  or  244  organizations,  with 
that  number  of  presidents  and  secretaries,  and  with  a  reported 
membership  of  about  6500.  Many  of  the  institute  organizations 
have  arranged  for  regular  monthly  meetings.  Another  feature 
introduced  by  Superintendent  Miller  is  the  stock-  and  corn-judg- 
ing classes  and  the  dairy  demonstration  work. 

Of  other  extension  work  organized  during  the  last  few  years 
may  be  mentioned  the  State  Farmers'  Institutes  and  the  boys' 
and  girls'  contests.  The  College  made  several  unsuccessful  at- 
tempts during  the  time  of  Pres.  Geo.  T.  Pairchild  and  Pres.  Thos. 
E.  Will  to  have  large  gatherings  at  Manhattan  during  the  winter 
holidays,  but  in  1906,  Supt.  J.  EL  Miller  succeeded  in  making  a 
six-days'  institute  a  success,  and  since  that  time  such  State  gath- 
erings have  been  held  annually.  In  fact,  the  State  Farmers'  In- 
stitute at  the  College  has  grown  to  be  the  biggest  agricultural 
event  in  the  State. 

In  connection  with  these  annual  gatherings  of  farmers  at  the 
College  there  have  been  organized  several  auxiliaries,  such  as  a 
five-days'  judging  school  for  corn,  stock,  poultry,  etc.,  a  Boys' 
Corn-Contest  Association  (1906),  a  Kansas  Corn-Breeders'  Asso- 
ciation, an  Institute  Officers'  Conference,  a  State  Draft-Horse 
Breeders'  Association,  a  Swine-Breeders'  Association,  and  a 
Sheep-Breeders'  Association.  Most  of  these  auxiliaries  of  the 
State  Farmers'  Institute  have  held  meetings  regularly  for  the  last 
four  years. 

In  1907  the  department  began  the  publication  of  two  series  of 
pamphlets,  one  for  institute  members  and  the  other  for  public- 
school  teachers.  These  were  printed  in  such  quantity  that  they 
could  be  supplied  to  all  institute  members  and  to  all  teachers  who 
would  ask  for  them.  The  following  pamphlets  have  been  issued 
to  date : 

The  Soil J.  T.  Willard 

How  Plants  Feed  and  Grow J.  T.  Willard 

Hygienic  Cookery Henrietta  W.  Calvin 

Tree  Culture  Albert  Dickens 

Bird  Life T.  H.  Scheffer 


190  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

A  Corn  Primer C.  S.  Knight 

A  Study  of  Insects T.  J.  Headlee 

Boys'  and  Girls'  Contest J.  H.  Miller 

Swine Geo.  C.  Wheeler 

Farm  Dairying .  . .  .D.  M.  Wilson 

Poultry D.  M.  Wilson  and  W.  A.  Lamb 

Sheep R.  J.  Kinzer 

Demonstration  Problems J.  H.  Miller 

Dry-Land  Farming A.M.  Ten  Ey  ck 

Making  Hay : A.M.  Ten  Eyck 

Plant  Breeding . Geo.  F.  Freeman 

Insects  Injurious  to  Farm  Crops Geo.  A.  Dean 

These  pamphlets,  many  of  which  contain  over  a  hundred  pages 
of  matter,  were  issued  under  different  general  titles,  but  since 
July,  1908,  all  have  appeared  as  numbers  of  a  new  publication: 
Agricultural  Education.  In  addition  to  these  seventeen  pamphlets 
Supt.  J.  H.  Miller  has  published  two  biennial  reports. 

UNIFORMITY  IN   INSTITUTE   WORK. 

The  first  attempt  in  the  direction  of  securing  uniformity  of 
method  in  institute  work  in  the  United  States  was  made  in  1896, 
when  Supt.  George  McKerrow,  of  Wisconsin,  called  a  meeting  of 
the  institute  workers  of  the  country  for  March  13  of  that  year,  to 
be  held  at  "Watertown,  Wis.  At  this  meeting  a  form  of  constitu- 
tion was  prepared  to  be  submitted  to  a  subsequent  convention  to 
be  held  October  14,  1896,  in  Chicago.  At  the  Chicago  meeting  a 
new  constitution  was  presented  as  a  substitute  for  the  one  pre- 
pared at  Watertown,  and  after  extended  discussion  the  substitute 
was  finally  adopted.  The  name  given  to  the  organization  was 
"The  American  Association  of  Farmers'  Institute  Managers." 

In  furtherance  of  the  purpose  of  the  organization  to  secure 
greater  uniformity,  the  association  at  its  meeting  in  Columbus, 
Ohio,  in  1897,  by  formal  action,  requested  the  secretary  of  agri- 
culture of  the  United  States  to  "arrange  for  a  division  in  connec- 
tion with  that  department,  to  be  known  as  the  Division  ©f  Farm- 
ers' Institutes,  and  to  appoint  a  suitable  officer  who  shall  be  in 
charge." 

The  secretary  of  agriculture  at  the  second  session  of  the  Fifty- 
seventh  Congress  made  request  for  an  appropriation  of  $5000  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  the  department  to  engage  the  services  of 
some  one  to  cooperate  with  the  state  directors,  and  to  render  such 
other  assistance  as  the  department  might  be  able  to  furnish. 
Congress  made  the  appropriation,  and  an  official  known  as  farm- 
ers'   institute   specialist  was    accordingly   appointed,   who   took 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


I'.H 


charge  of  tin*  work-  under  fche  direction  of  the  ( >ffice  of  Experiment 

Stations  on  the  1st.  of  April,  L903. 

The  act  providing  for  the  appointment  makes  it  the  duty  of  this 
officer  to  "investigate  and  report  upon  the  organization  and  prog 

ress  of  farmers'  institutes  in  the  several  states  and  territories, 
and  upon  similar  organizations  in  foreign  countries;  with  special 
suggestions  of  plans  and  methods  for  making  such  organizations 
more  effective  for  the  dissemination  of  the  results  of  the  work  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  and  of  the  experiment  stations, 
and  of  improved  methods  of  agricultural  practice." 


Physical  Science  Hall. 


192  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

XVII. 

STATE  UNIVERSITY  VERSUS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE. 

THE  controversy  between  the  Kansas  State  University  and  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  over  their  respective 
"spheres  of  work"  was  officially  started  by  an  open  letter  written 
by  the  secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  F.  D.  Coburn, 
dated  April  4,  1908,  and  addressed  to  Governor  Hoch,  demanding 
the  calling  of  a  conference  of  the  boards  of  regents  of  the  three 
higher  State  institutions  for  the  settlement  of  this  problem.  Re- 
sponding to  this  letter,  the  governor  called  a  meeting.  It  was 
well  understood,  however,  that  the  real  purpose  of  the  move  was 
to  anihilate  the  engineering  courses  of  the  College.  The  State 
Normal  School  had  no  grievances  against  "Manhattan"  and  the 
Agricultural  College  had  none  against  it  or  the  University.  All 
that  the  College  asked  was  to  be  let  alone.  It  had  found  its  field 
of  usefulness  and  had  met  the  demands  of  the  industrial  classes 
of  the  State  in  a  broad,  effective  and  progressive  way.  But  the 
rapid  development  of  its  departments  had  been  observed  at 
"Lawrence"  with  fear,  and,  as  the  political  constellation  of  the 
State  seemed  favorable,  it  was  decided  at  Mount  Oread  to  renew 
the  efforts  made  in  the  early  seventies;  that  is,  to  start  a  war  that 
could  be  carried  into  the  legislature.  At  first  the  press  was 
rather  favorable  to  the  University.  Well-written  articles  by  the 
professors,  alumni  and  friends  of  that  institution  appeared  at  fre- 
quent intervals,  but  gradually  the  true  animus  of  the  controversy 
became  known  and  the  case  of  the  College  grew  stronger  and 
more  hopeful. 

The  board  committees  met  several  times,  but  reached  no  satis- 
factory agreement  over  the  main  point  in  controversy.  At  a  sub- 
sequent meeting  Judge  A.  M.  Story,  president  of  the  Board  of 
Regents  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  presented  a 
brief  in  which  he  defended  the  engineering  courses  at  the  Agri- 
cultural College,  insisted  that  the  University  had  no  right  to 
organize  courses  in  engineering,  and  cited  the  land  grant  act  of 
1863,  which  states  that  the  agricultural  colleges  were  to  open 
courses  in  agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  for  the  training  of  the 
industrial  classes.  He  showed  that  it  was  not  the  intent  of  Con- 
gress to  make  these  schools  only  agricultural  schools,  but  that 
they  were  also  intended  to  teach  the  mechanic  arts,  and  that  this 
term  includes  not  merely  the  shop  work  of  the  common  trades 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L93 

but  everything  that  pertains  to  machinery,  machine  construction, 
electricity,  irrigation,  surveying,  drainage,  good  roads,  building 
construction,  etc.  He  showed  that  there  was  need  in  the  State  of 
a  technical  school  that  would  accept  students  without  a  "Latin" 
preparation  (a  full,  four-years',  classical  high  school  course)  and 
that  the  College  educates  its  students  at  less  expense  per  capita 
than  the  University. 

Judge  Story  held  that  the  State  University  should  stand  for 
advanced  scholarship  along  lines  of  literature,  art  and  science  and 
not  for  lines  of  technical  education  which  belonged  by  congres- 
sional enactment  to  the  Agricultural  College.  He  also  insisted 
that  the  University  was  continually  encroaching  upon  the  work  of 
the  Agricultural  College  and  Normal  School  in  its  courses  in  eco- 
nomic entomology,  attempt  to  introduce  domestic  science  and 
shop  work,  and  in  its  department  of  education.  He  held  that  the 
alignment  should  be  absolutely  along  the  idea  of  industrial  educa- 
tion and  not  merely  on  the  basis  of  what  was  popular;  that  the 
Agricultural  College  stood  for  the  interest,  not  only  of  agriculture, 
but  for  all  technical  work  of  the  industrial  classes;  that  engineer- 
ing was  as  strictly  an  industrial  department  as  agriculture,  and 
that  to  take  mechanic  arts  away  from  the  Agricultural  College 
now  would  be  a  diversion  of  government  funds.  The  Standard 
dictionary,  he  said,  defines  mechanics  as  "relating  to  machinery 
and  machine  construction,"  and  nowhere  is  there  to  be  found  a 
definition  of  mechanic  arts  limiting  it  to  carpentry  and  black- 
smithing. 

Following  is  an  excerpt  of  Judge  Story's  brief : 

Senator  Morrill,  the  author  of  the  bill  that  created  the  land  grant  col- 
leges, had  in  mind  the  education  of  a  certain  class  of  people.  It  seems 
strange,  in  the  light  of  the  present  day,  that  it  was  considered  necessary  to 
provide  by  law  for  the  education  of  certain  classes;  however,  when  we  look 
at  the  educational  conditions  as  they  were  in  1862,  and  prior  to  that  time, 
we  find  that  there  was  no  higher  education  within  the  reach  of  the  class  that 
Senator  Morrill  sought  to  benefit.  The  colleges  were  of  the  old  classical 
order.  They  educated  lawyers,  doctors,  and  ministers.  At  that  time  there 
were  but  four  or  five  schools  or  colleges  in  the  United  States  teaching  engi- 
neering in  any  of  its  phases.  Senator  Morrill,  himself  not  a  college  gradu- 
ate, was  a  man  of  good  judgment  and  great  preception.  He  saw  the  neces- 
sity of  doing  something  that  would  encourage  the  education  of  the  industrial 
classes. 

Along  about  1890  in  Vermont  there  was  an  effort  made  (as  is  suggested. 
for  Kansas  at  this  time)  to  make  the  agricultural  college  established  under 
this  act  a  school  which  should  teach  nothing  except  agriculture.  Senator  Mor- 
rill appeared  before  the  legislature  in  Vermont  to  give  his  idea  of  the  inten- 
tion of  the  original  "Land  Grant  Act,"  and  as  to  whether  or  not  the  state 
should  or  could  direct  that  nothing  but  agriculture  could   be  taught  in  its 


194  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

agricultural  college.  Senator  Morrill  said:  "The  object  of  the  act  of  1862 
was  to  give  a  chance  to  the  industrial  classes  to  obtain  a  liberal  education, 
something  more  than  was  bestowed  by  the  universities  and  colleges  in  gen- 
eral, which  seemed  to  be  based  on  the  English  plan  of  giving  education  only 
to  what  might  be  called  the  professional  classes  —  in  law,  medicine  and  the- 
ology." 

In  respect  to  the  proposed  change  in  Vermont,  Senator  Morrill  said:  "I 
would  regard  that  as  a  subversion  of  the  whole  idea  of  the  Land  Grant  Act 
of  1862,  which  was  of  a  much  broader  meaning.  It  included  the  idea  that 
agriculture  and  mechanic  arts  were  to  have  a  leading  or  first  position,  but 
it  included  much  more.  It  was  for  the  industrial  classes,  to  promote  their 
instruction  generally,  and  it  was-  not  to  exclude  even  the  classics.  There- 
fore, I  should  regard  any  change  from  the  original  plan  as  a  diversion  of 
the  fund  and  a  revolution  of  the  whole  practical  idea." 

It  must  be  conceded  that  a  certain  line  of  work  was  required  to  be  given 
in  the  colleges  founded  under  the  Land  Grant  Act,  and  that  Kansas  fully 
realized  this,  as  in  the  preamble  to  the  act  locating  the  agricultural  college 
such  requirements  were  enumerated.  The  State  of  Kansas  cannot  take  from, 
in  any  particular,  the  requirements  as  set  out  in  the  law  of  1862.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  Kansas  might  add  to  the  work  to  be  done  in  such  institution,  but 
it  absolutely  cannot  take  from.  Under  the  government  act,  a,state  in  order 
to  avail  itself  of  provisions  should  indicate  its  acceptance  of  the  terms  of 
the  act  within  two  years  from  July  2,  1862,  and  within  five  years  from  July 
2,  1862,  should  provide  the  college  where  such  studies  should  be  taught. 
The  State  of  Kansas  within  eight  mouths  from  the  time  of  the  passage  of  the 
Land  Grant  Act  properly  accepted  its  terms,  and  within  the  same  time 
located  the  institution  for  the  carrying  out  of  the  terms  of  the  said  act,  but 
there  is  a  serious  doubt  in  my  mind  as  to  whether  the  State  of  Kansas  at 
this  time,  after  the  expiration  of  more  than  forty-five  years  from  July  2, 
1862,  has  any  right  or  could  possibly  change  even  the  location  of  the  insti- 
tution which  was  established  in  1863  at  Manhattan.  Kansas  has  received  as 
an  endowment  over  $500,000  under  the  provisions  of  that  act. 

There  has  been  some  criticism  as  to  the  growth  of  engineering  in  the 
agricultural  colleges.  It  has  been  claimed  that  it  is  out  of  proportion  when 
compared  with  the  growth  of  the  agricultural  end  of  the  institution.  It 
might  be  observed  that  since  the  civil  war  this  country  has  experienced  the 
greatest  commercial  and  industrial  growth  in  its  history,  and  that  as  a  re- 
sult skilled  men  in  either  commercial  or  industrial  life  have  been  in  demand. 
People  are  getting  to  be  practical.  There  is  a  demand  for  an  education 
which  will  fit  a  young  man,  or  young  woman,  to  do  things;  to  do  things  for 
which  there  is  a  demand,  to  enable  them  to  take  part  in  the  development  of 
the  commercial  and  industrial  work  of  the  times.  There  is  a  large  demand 
for  young  men  graduates  of  engineering  schools.  As  long  as  such  demand 
exists  young  men  will  be  provided  to  fill  the  positions ;  they  will  be  in  the 
drafting  room;  they  will  be  engaged  in  the  designing,  the  construction  and 
the  operation  of  machines  and  appliances.  It  is  just  as  necessary  in  the  in- 
terest of  agriculture  and  farming  that  some  man  construct  a  self-binder  as 
it  is  that  some  man  sit  on  the  binder  and  operate  it  in  the  actual  work  of 
cutting  the  grain.  One  man  must  make  a  cultivator,  another  must  hold  the 
handles  in  the  field.  One  man  must  survey  the  route  where  the  railroad  is 
built,  another  will  raise  the  wheat  that  is  shipped  over  the  line,  and  another 


Kansas  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L95 

will  build  a  mill,  it  Is  the  rankesl  nonsense  bo  saj  that  all  farmers'  boys 
should  be  farmers.  Develop  the  young  man  along  lines  for  which  he  Is 
adapted,     [f  if  be  farming1,  he  should  follow  that;  If  It  be  something  else,  be 

should  follow   that. 

The  Kansas  Slate  Agricultural  College  is  not  merely  a  college  exclu- 
sively for  the  education  of  farmers  if  is  a-  college  specially  for  the  edu- 
cation of  the  industrial  classes.  This  institution  educates  young  men 
along  liberal  and  practical  lines  for  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  of 
life  as  provided  in  the  original  Land  Grant  Act.  Here  a  democratic 
atmosphere  prevails.  All  meet  on  an  equal.  It  makes  no  difference  what. 
course  a  young  man  takes,  he  has  the  same  standing,  if  he  possesses  the 
natural  qualities  of  manhood. 

But  will  the  attitude  of  the  University  of  Kansas  bear  close  examination? 
In  1889  the  legislature  revised  the  law  applicable  to  the  University  and  pro- 
vided that  it  should  consist  of  three  departments.  First,  a  department  of 
literature.  Second,  a  department  of  the  sciences.  Third,  a  department  of 
the  arts.  That  is  the  only  law  that  defines  or  declares  what  the  University 
may  or  shall  teach.  Within  these  three  departments  it  must  operate. 
There  is  no  law  authorizing  the  University  to  conduct  an  agricultural  de- 
partment, or  to  conduct  agricultural  investigation  at  all.  There  is  no  law 
authorizing  the  University  to  conduct  a  normal  department.  The  only  law 
existing  which  would  authorize  the  University  to  conduct  its  engineering 
departments  is  the  law  appropriating  funds  for  the  erection  of  its  engineer- 
ing buildings,  the  purchase  of  apparatus  and  their  maintenance.  I  do  not 
believe  that  the  teaching  of  engineering  is  necessarily  a  part  of  the  univer- 
sity work.  The  universities  of  the  western  states  started  out  along  the  same 
lines  as  the  old  classical  colleges  of  the  East.  After  the  colleges  established 
under  the  Land  Grant  Act  got  into  operation  and  were  giving  the  industrial 
classes  an  education  along  industrial  and  practical  lines,  and  when  it  be- 
came evident  that  such  education  was  the  education  which  the  people  were 
demanding,  the  universities  of  the  western  states  sought  to  change  and  did 
change  their  several  courses  to  include  just  as  many  industrials  as  possible. 

By  examination  of  the  University  catalogue  of  1908,  on  page  63,  I  find 
the  following:  "The  1897  session  of  the  legislature  created  the  State  ento- 
mological commission.  The  field  work  of  this  commission  is  conducted  by 
the  departments  of  entomology  at  the  University  and  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. The  University  is  performing  the  work  of  inspecting  nurseries  and 
issuing  certificates,  and  has  since  the  beginning  of  such  requirements  in 
1896.  It  has  also  conducted  some  extensive  investigations  in  the  interest  of 
agriculture  and  horticulture.  Under  this  commission  the  department  of  en- 
tomology of  the  University  will  cover  a  much  wider  field  and  will  publish 
from  time  to  time  the  results  of  its  work. ' ' 

In  this  matter  the  University  is  out  of  its  line  of  work.  It  does  teach, 
and  should  teach,  entomology,  but  it  should  not  be  permitted  to  use  its 
funds  and  its  efforts  along  the  lines  which  purely  and  positively  belong  to 
the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  which  station  is  fully  and  amply 
equipped  to  do  such  work.  It  proposes  to  "publish  from  time  to  time  the 
results  of  its  work."  In  this  we  presume  that  it  means  that  it  will  issue 
bulletins,  something  wholly  beyond  its  authority,  and  an  invasion  of  the 
rights  of  the  Agricultural  College. 

On  page  113  we  find  the  following:    "The  University  offers  for  next  year 


196  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

a  few  courses  in  domestic  science.  These  courses  are  of  strictly  University 
grade,  and  if  experience  warrants  will  be  added  to  as  time  goes  on  until  a 
fully  formulated  course  results." 

This  is  absolutely  out  of  barmory  and  out  of  keeping  with  a  university, 
but  it  is  mentioned  to  show  the  tendency  of  the  University  toward  spreading 
out  and  absorbing  the  work  of  other  institutions.  It  shows  the  tendency  of 
the  University  to  get  out  of  its  own  sphere.  It  shows  its  desire  to  adopt  the 
ideas  of  the  land-grant  colleges.  It  shows  its  disposition  to  duplicate  the 
work  of  other  institutions.  It  shows  its  disposition  to  disregard  the  pur- 
poses for  which  it  was  established,  and  to  go  chasing  around  for  popular 
things. 

I  notice  on  page  126  there  is  a  department  known  as  "Education."  I 
find  that  under  this  heading  is  sought  to  be  given  to  some  extent  a  normal 
training,  and  from  the  course  of  study  outlined  I  would  consider  it  quite 
complete.  There  might  be  no  objection  to  this,  and  certainly  would  be  none 
on  the  part  of  the  representatives  of  the  Agricultural  College,  were  it  not 
that  this  department,  when  considered  in  connection  with  the  University's 
high  school  visitation  department,  gives  an  unfair  advantage  to  University 
graduates  over  those  of  either  the  Agricultural  College  or  the  Normal.  I 
know  it  to  be  a  fact  that  many  high  schools  of  the  State  of  Kansas  not  only 
refuse  but  are  actually  afraid  to  employ  a  principal  or  teachers  for  the  high 
school  until  they  correspond  or  confer  with  the  University  authority  having 
charge  of  the  high  school  visitation.  We  have  in  the  State  Normal  School 
an  institution  specially  prepared  to  graduate  school-teachers,  and  yet  those 
teachers  are  being  discriminated  against;  at  least  until  graduates  of  the 
department  of  education  of  the  University  are  placed. 

From  the  above  statements  I  believe  it  can  clearly  be  inferred  that  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  is  not  unnecessarily  duplicating  work. 
I  believe  it  is  doing  no  work  except  that  required  by  congressional  enact- 
ment, and  that  the  work  it  is  doing  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  com- 
ply with  the  provisions  of  such  act.  On  the  other  hand,  I  believe  that  the 
University  is  unnecessarily  duplicating  work  which  belongs  to  the  other 
institutions. 

Passing  to  another  feature  of  the  case,  and  an  interesting  one,  too,  I  find 
that  the  State  has  appropriated  to  the  Agricultural  College,  for  all  pur- 
poses, $1,888,523,  while  it  has  appropriated  to  the  University  about  four 
million  dollars.  I  also  find  that  the  enrolment  at  the  Agricultural  College 
for  several  years  has  exceeded  the  enrolment  of  the  University.  I  find  that 
the  legislature  of  1907  gave  the  Agricultural  College,  for  the  years  1908  and 
1909,  a  total  of  $295,000,  while  it  gave  the  University  $491,000  for  current 
expenses.  In  addition  to  the  amount  given  the  Agricultural  College,  this 
gets  the  interest  on  its  endowment,  and  also  appropriations  under  the  Hatch 
Act,  Morrill  Act,  etc.,  which  will  amount  to  probably  $90,000.  This  money 
is  used  largely  in  the  Experiment  Station  and  directly  applied  to  agricul- 
tural experiments.  In  addition  to  the  above  the  University  will  receive 
endowment  interest  to  the  amount  of  several  thousand  dollars.  Taking  into 
consideration  the  fact  that  each  of  these  institutions  takes  care  of  practi- 
cally the  same  number  of  students,  is  there  not  an  unequal  division  of  funds? 
It  strikes  me  that  there  should  be  some  way  devised  that  no  educational 
institution  should  suffer  from  lack  of  funds,  but  that  all  funds  used  for  edu- 
cational purposes  should  be  so  managed  that  the  greatest  good  would  result. 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  L97 

ii  is  true  that  there  is  a  large  expenditure  La  the  State  of  Kansas  for  edu- 
cational purposes,  and  I  ana  speaking  only  of  these  three  Institutions,  bul  I 
believe  it  to  i><i  true  also  that  there  is  do  state  in  the  union  that  is  to-day 
educating  a  larger  percent  of  Its  young  men  and  women  or  educating  them 
at  loss  per  capita  expense  than  the  state  of  Kansas. 

The  University  has  always  had  the  big  end  of  the  appropriations  in  the 
State.  It  has  had  practically  all  it  asked  for.  it  has  taken  everything  it 
desired  in  the  way  of  new  courses  and  new  work.  And  now  alter  engineer- 
ing has  been  in  the  Agricultural  College  since  the  College  was  established 
under  the  Land  Grant  Act,  it  comes  forward  and  demands  that  the  engineer- 
ing be  taken  from  that  institution.  This  question  will  be  settled,  and  when 
it  is  settled  it  will  be  found  that  the  Agricultural  College  still  has  its  engi- 
neering. 

There  is  in  the  minds  of  a  great  many  people  in  the  State  of  Kansas  a 
notion  that  the  Agricultural  College  was  established  merely  to  teach  agri- 
culture. I  have  sufficiently  shown  that  such  is  not  the  case.  Agriculture  is 
one  of  the  subjects  required  to  be  taught,  yet  this  College  was  founded  for 
the  purpose  of  educating*  the  industrial  classes,  and  not  educating  people 
exclusively  in  agriculture.  The  State  of  Kansas,  having  accepted  the  pro- 
visions of  the  original  Land  Grant  Act,  and  having-  accepted  an  endowment 
which  will  amount  to  at  least  $500,000,  and  having*  established  an  institution 
in  accordance  with  said  Land  Grant  Act,  and  having  taken  part  in  the  de- 
velopment of  a  new  and  the  greatest  educational  system  the  world  has  ever 
seen,  the  education  of  the  industrial  classes,  the  State  of  Kansas  will  not  by 
a  legislative  enactment,  or  otherwise,  say  to  the  world  that  when  it  accepted 
the  provisions  of  said  act  it  did  not  intend  honestly  to  keep  its  pledge. 
This  College  was  established  in  accordance  with  congressional  enactment. 
The  only  thing  which  the  Kansas  legislature  had  the  right  to  do  was  to 
accept  its  terms  and,  if  desired,  establish  its  school  and  maintain  it.  Having 
done  it,  the  whole  question  was  settled. 

The  matter  rested  till  after  the  fall  election,  which  greatly 
favored  the  University  by  placing  one  of  its  regents  into  the  State 
senate,  an  ex-student  into  the  governor's  chair,  and  another  regent 
and  several  of  its  ex-students  into  the  house.  Mount  Oread  was 
evidently  aware  of  these  advantages,  and  in  its  biennial  report  the 
chancellor  boldly  urged  the  lawmakers  to  settle  the  controversy 
by  abolishing  the  engineering  courses  of  the  College,  or  still  bet- 
ter by  consolidating  the  two  institutions  under  one  board  and  one 
executive.  The  report  was  a  peculiar  document.  It  covered 
about  a  hundred  pages  and  devoted  over  two-thirds  of  these  to  a 
discussion  of  the  consolidation  problem.  It  pleaded  for  the 
organization  by  the  State  of  a  great  centralized  school  system  with 
the  State  University  as  its  apex  and  directing  force — a  university 
of  thousands  of  students  and  hundreds  of  courses.  It  tried  to 
show  that  a  large  school  of  this  kind  could  educate  the  students 
better  and  at  less  expense  to  the  State.  It  argued  that  engineer- 
ing students  as  well  as  lawyers  and  doctors  needed  the  full  Latin 
preparation  of  the  high  school  and  declared  the  present  high 


198  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

school  courses  as  up  to  date.  It  refuted  the  charges  made  by 
many  noted  educators  that  the  high  school  work  was  unneces- 
sarily "ancient"  and  not  designed  to  form  the  best  connecting 
link  between  the  common  school  and  the  professional  courses  in 
mechanic  arts.  It  insisted  that  it  had  started  its  engineering 
courses  before  the  College  had  organized  such  work  and  that  it 
was  doing  nearly  all  of  the  work  in  these  lines  now  being  done  at 
Manhattan.     It  held  that  its  original  charter  gave  it  the  right  to 


Hon.  Edwin  Taylor. 

teach  not  only  engineering  but  also  agriculture.  It  said  that  the 
State  had  the  right  to  organize  two  or  more  institutions  under  the 
organic  law  creating  "colleges  for  the  benefit  of  agriculture  and 
the  mechanic  arts,"  and  the  further  right  to  divide  the  financial 
benefits  derived  from  the  land  grant  and  the  College  aid  bill  among 
two  or  more  institutions.  It  cited  the  case  of  Massachusetts, 
where  the  mechanic  arts  are  taught  in  a  polytechnic  school  sep- 
arate from  the  agricultural  school,  and  it  tried  to  prove  that  the 
agricultural  departments  of  state  universities  were  doing  more 
for  the  actual  farmer  than  the  separate  land-grant  colleges. 

The  University  was  evidently  conducting  its  preparations  for 
the  final  combat  in  the  legislature  with  determination.  It  was 
reported,  too,  at  Manhattan,  that  a  number  of  our  would-be  friends 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  199 

in  high  places  al  Topeka  had  joined  hands  with  the  crafty  chance] 
Lor  and  were  furnishing  him  with  ready  made  arguments,  [twas 
not  expected,  however,  that  the  initial  bomb  <>r  the  battle  would 
be  fired  early  in  the  session  and  by  one  of  our  own  men.  The 
Legislature  had  barely  been  organized  when  Regent  Edwin  'Taylor, 
of  the  College,  introduced  tlio  following  petition  in  the  senate: 

Your  petitioner  represents  that  lie  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents 
of  the  State  Agricultural  College  holding  a  minority  view  on  the  subjects 
herein  discussed,  and  that  he  was  one  of  a  committee  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Hooh  to  consider  the  question  of  establishing  a  "line  fence"  between 
the  different  State  educational  institutions.  That  committee  spent  much 
time  in  considering  whether  such  "line  fence"  was  advisable  and  desirable. 
As  a  result  of  the  investigation  and  discussion  your  petitioner  is  convinced 
that  such  delimitation  is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the  institutions  them- 
selves, by  bringing  to  an  end  the  present  situation  of  rivalry  and  com- 
petition between  them;  and  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the  State,  by  saving 
to  it  the  vast  sums  that  are  sought  to  be  expended  in  duplications  that  will 
result  in  no  adequate  educational  advantage,  and  will  serve  merely  to 
gratify  institutional  jealousy  and  ostentation.  Your  petitioner  is  convinced 
that  such  boundary  making  can  be  done  only  by  the  legislature  of  the 
State,  and  for  this  service  to  be  rendered  by  your  honorable  body  he  makes 
this  his  respectful  petition,  in  support  of  which  prayer  he  begs  leave  to  offer 
the  following : 

The  chancellor  of  the  State  University  has  recently  advocated  in  public 
print  the  purpose  of  installing  an  agricultural  department  of  the  University. 
The  general  principle  that  what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well 
applies  with  especial  force  to  schools,  whether  of  high  or  low  degree;  and  to 
establish  at  Lawrence  an  agricultural  department,  abreast  in  point  of  ex- 
cellence of  the  other  departments,  there  would,  in  the  opinion  of  your  peti- 
tioner, entail  present  and  prospective  expenditure  of  large  amounts  of  pub- 
lic money  in  an  unnecessary  duplication  of  the  work  at  Manhattan. 

That  clause  of  our  State  constitution  which  provides  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  University  for  "the  promotion  of  literature,  the  arts  and  sciences" 
also  says  it  shall  have  "a  normal  and  an  agricultural  department."  It 
appears  obvious  to  your  petitioner  that  the  concern  of  the  constitution- 
makers  ran  to  having  those  subjects  taught  at  public  expense  in  some 
place,  rather  than  to  having  them  taught  at  the  same  place.  It  isn't  con- 
ceivable that  the  main  interest  of  the  constitution  is  in  a  local  concentration 
of  "departments;"  it  runs  rather,  it  would  seem,  to  an  all-embracing  scheme 
of  public  education  at  the  cost  of  the  State  and  under  the  State's  control. 
If  this  contention  is  correct,  then  the  State  has  abundantly  satisfied  the  con- 
stitutional requirements  as  to  "a  normal  and  an  agricultural  department," 
by  establishing  an  agricultural  training  place  at  Manhattan  and  a  normal 
at  Emporia.  A  declaration  to  this  effect  by  your  honorable  body  would 
prevent  waste  of  public  money  and  would  reduce  the  friction  and  antag- 
onisms between  the  educational  institutions  of  the  State  and  add  to  the  use- 
fulness of  each. 

The  Agricultural  College  is  established  under  the  provisions  of  the  land- 
grant  act  of  July  2,  1862.  That  act  provides,  in  each  state  availing  itself  of 
its  bounty,   "for  at  least  one  college"  where  agriculture  and  other  things, 


200  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

"not  excluding-  the  classics,"  shall  be  taught,  "in  such  manner  as  the  legis- 
latures of  the  states  may  respectively  prescribe,"  in  order  to  promote  edu- 
cation "of  the  industrial  classes  in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in 
life." 

The  intent  of  the  above  language  is  so  obvious  that  your  petitioner 
assumes  that  no  question  can  be  raised  as  to  the  design  of  Congress  to 
secure  in  each  of  such  states,  through  the  assistance  given  by  the  land  grant, 
a  complete  scheme  of  scientific  and  professional  training  that  will  cover 
"the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life."  These  are  the  requirements 
of  a  university.  The  State  is  abundantly  prepared  to  satisfy  all  those 
requirements,  called  for  by  the  Morrill  Law,  in  the  three  State  educational 
institutions,  with  present  equipment.  There  remains  only  that  the  legisla- 
ture shall  officially  recog'nize  the  distribution  and  "prescribe"  ag*ainst  inter- 
ference. The  legislatures  of  other  states  have  long  ago  "prescribed."  The 
Kansas  legislature  should  "prescribe."  The  language  "at  least  one  col- 
lege," plainly  indicates  that  two  or  more  would  not  be  repugnant  to  the  act. 
In  Massachusetts  they  have  two  such  colleges,  one  at  Amherst,  the  other  at 
Boston.  They  have  also  divided  the  functions  enumerated  in  the  act,  pla- 
cing some  in  one  branch  of  this  dual  college,  some  in  the  other.  Kansas  has 
the  same  right  as  Massachusetts  to  divide  between  her  three  colleges  such 
preparation  for  the  several  "pursuits  and  professions  in  life"  as  she  deems 
wise.  The  time  has  come  for  the  legislature  of  the  State,  if  it  so  desires,  to 
put  an  end  to  much  educational  confusion  and  financial  loss,  by  making 
formal  announcement  that  in  "prescribing"  the  adjustments  under  the  land- 
g-rant  act,  it  recognizes  that  the  State  institution  at  Lawrence  is  giving  the 
"practical  education"  "in  the  several  pursuits  and  professions  in  life" 
required  of  the  State  by  Congressional  enactment,  except  the  teaching  pro- 
fession, which  is  established  at  Emporia,  and  the  profession  of  veterinary 
medicine,  which  is  fully  taken  care  of  at  Manhattan,  along  with  "agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts." 

Previous  to  about  eleven  years  ago  the  rendering  of  the  expression 
"mechanic  arts"  appears  to  have  been  made  by  the  management  of  the 
Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan  as  equivalent  to  the  obvious  intent  of 
the  same  words  in  reversed  positions,  viz.,  "the  arts  of  the  mechanic" — the 
same  rendering  which  now  obtains  and  has  all  along  obtained  at  the  Agri- 
cultural College  of  New  York  (Cornell),  Illinois,  Ohio,  Wisconsin,  and  Min- 
nesota. A  course  in  "engineering"  was  first  offered  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan  in  its  issue  of  1897-'98.  The  first  students 
in  electrical  engineering  were  graduated  in  1902.  Civil  engineering  was  put 
in  last  fall.  The  profession  of  engineering  as  taught  at  the  State  University 
consists  of  seven  different  courses;  as  taught  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute 
of  Technology  ("one"  of  the  "colleges"  operated  by  the  State  of  Massachu- 
setts under  the  land-grant  act  of  1862),  it  consists  of  thirteen  courses.  If 
allowed  to  do  so,  it  is  safe  to  surmise  that  the  Regents  of  the  Agricultural 
College  will  at  least  duplicate  the  work  of  the  State  University. 

Your  petitioner  holds  that  it  is  the  province  and  the  duty  of  the  legisla- 
ture to  determine  the  meaning  of  the  words  "mechanic  arts"  as  they  shall 
be  construed  by  the  Regents  of  the  Ag-ricultural  College  on  the  ground  that 
such  action  is  within  the  clause  of  the  act  which  leaves  the  manner  of  car- 
rying out  its  provisions  to  be  as  the  "legislatures  of  the  several  states  shall 
prescribe."  Upon  that  definition,  by  you  rendered,  the  whole  future  of  the 
institution  will  depend.     If  your  decision  is  for  the  "arts  of  the  mechanic," 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  201 

with  which  ever y  farmer  should  have  soine  acquaintance,  then  you  will  stop 
the  strong  draught  of  professionalism,  which  in  every  college  where  agricul- 
ture  and  professionalism  are  pul  in  close  grapple  has  the  effect  of  blowing 
"away  Prom  the  farms"  large  numbers  of  farm  boys  who  go  to  college  to 
learn  farming  and  stay  to  become  engineers,  [f  von  decide  in  favor  of  the 
profession  of  engineering,  then  yon  should  change  the  name  from  "Agricul- 
tural College"  to  some  other  name  indicative  of  the  dominant  feature  of  the 
school.  The  history  of  all  state  colleges,  so  far  as  known  by  your  peti- 
tioner, makes  it  apparent  that  wherever  agriculture  and  the  profession  of 
engineering  are  taught  together  that  agriculture  becomes  a  secondary  fea- 
ture as  compared  with  engineering,  a  fact  winch  is  shown  by  the  number  of 
students  who,  exclusive  of  the  preparatory  and  short-course  students,  pur- 
sue the  respective  courses.  The  three  leading-  states  which  teach  "mechanic 
arts*1  in  their  land-grant  colleges  as  equivalent  to,  or  inclusive  of,  the  pro- 
fession of  engineering,  besides  the  State  of  Kansas,  are  Michigan,  Iowa, 
and  Colorado.  Your  petitioner  has  been  unable  to  secure  a  copy  of  the 
last  catalogue  of  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College,  but  that  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  presumably  not  far  different  in  its  proportions,  shows  that  that 
year  the  Michigan  Agricultural  College  had  in  its  four  college  classes 
(freshman,  sophomore,  junior,  and  senior)  192  male  students  in  agricul- 
ture of  all  kinds,  and  371  students  in  engineering —13  less  than  two  to  one. 
The  State  College  of  Iowa  (Ames),  as  shown  in  the  catalogue  for  1908-'09, 
has  in  the  four  college  years,  272  male  students  in  agriculture  and  662  in 
engineering — 122  more  than  two  to  one.  Colorado  Agricultural  College 
catalogue,  1908- '09,  shows  in  the  four  college  years  29  agriculture  students 
and  108  engineers  —  eight  less  than  four  to  one.  The  catalogue  of  the 
Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  doesn't  disclose  the  proportion  of  its 
courses,  but  your  petitioner  is  able  to  state  that  the  graduates  at  the  last 
Commencement  were  17  students  in  all  kinds  of  agriculture,  including  agron- 
omy, animal  husbandry,  dairying',  and  horticulture,  while  there  were  27 
graduates  in  the  two  kinds  of  engineering  so  far  established,  and  four  in 
architecture,  31  in  all  — three  less  than  two  to  one.  There  are  at  this  time 
in  the  four  college  years  which  differentiate  the  courses  of  study,  viz., 
sophomore,  junior,  senior  and  graduate,  154  male  students  in  all  kinds  of 
agriculture  and  243  in  all  kinds  of  engineering,  printing,  and  architecture. 
In  view  of  this  shifting  of  the  incidence  at  Manhattan  from  agriculture  to 
engineering,  your  petitioner  respectfully  suggests,  in  case  the  legislature 
decides  to  endorse  and  approve  the  same,  as  an  appropriate  new  name, 
"The  Kansas  State  College  of  Technology  and  Agriculture." 

He  begs  leave  further  to  represent  that  though  the  Kansas  State  Agricul- 
tural College  has  been  slowly  drifting  over  into  the  engineering  current  for 
years,  it  is  nevertheless  now  erecting  its  first  engineering  building  at  a  cost 
of  approximately  $50,000.  The  Regents  are  now  asking  $25,000  with  which 
to  equip  this  building;  they  are  asking  $60,000  for  an  extension  to  the  build- 
ing to  accommodate  electrical  engineering.  In  two  years  more  will  be  a 
request  for  the  electrical  engineering1.  After  that  comes  mining  engineering, 
chemical  engineering',  municipal  engineering,  etc.,  etc. — it  is  a  program  that 
will  cost  the  State  $500,000  to  install,  and  corresponding  sums  to  maintain. 

Your  petitioner  further  prays  that,  in  case  you  should  disapprove  the 
continuance  of  the  profession  of  engineering  at  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, you  will  then  take  the  sums  of  money  thus  released,  $85,000 — $60,000 
for   electrical  engineering',  $25,000  for    mechanical   engineering — with  such 

—14 


202  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

other  amounts  as  may  be  required,  and  authorize  the  construction  therewith 
at  Manhattan  of  the  following-  building's:  A  gymnasium  for  boys,  a  gymna- 
sium for  girls,  and  a  girls'  dormitory,  where  the  daughters  of  our  citizens, 
in  view  of  the  youth  and  inexperience  of  many  of  those  in  attendance,  can, 
if  they  desire,  find  within  the  College  grounds  rooms  and  board,  under  the 
supervision  and  care  of  the  College  authorities. 

Finally,  your  petitioner  begs  leave  to  represent  that  while  he  has  no  cre- 
dentials entitling  him  to  speak  for  the  farmers  of  the  State,  he  is  yet  con- 
fident that  he  voices  a  majority  sentiment  among  them  when  he  points  out 
the  opportunity  presented  to  your  honorable  body  for  giving  the  leading- 
industry  of  the  State  a  forward  impetus  of  the  greatest  importance,  viz:  pro- 
viding the  means  whereby  there  may  be  established  at  Manhattan,  in  con- 
nection with  and  as  a  part  of  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College,  a  con- 
stant exhibit,  on  a  commercial  scale,  of  the  most  effective  and  profitable 
methods  of  procedure  and  management  in  the  production  of  animal  fat,  the 
production  of  butter-fat,  the  manufacture  of  butter-fat  into  different  dairy 
products,  in  poultry  production,  in  crop  production,  in  seed-breeding  and 
distribution,  and  in  horticultural  production,  such  exhibit  being  both  for 
the  instruction  of  students  in  attendance  at  the  College  and  for  the  informa- 
tion of  the  farmers  of  the  State. 

For  the  one  item  of  seed-wheat  the  press  of  the  State  is  recommending  an 
appropriation  of  $100,000  for  imported  seed-wheat.  For  a  tenth  part  of 
that  sum,  the  strains  of  pedigreed  wheat  of  known  performance,  outclassing 
the  average  of  the  State  by  more  than  four  to  one,  already  in  limited  stock 
at  the  State  Agricultural  College,  but  not  produced  largely  or  disseminated 
widely  for  want  of  money  and  authority,  could,  within  the  space  of  a  few 
vears,  be  multiplied  to  the  point  of  furnishing  seed  for  every  acre  of  wheat 
sown  in  the  State,  with  the  reasonable  assurance  that  thereby  the  wheat  crop 
of  the  State  would  be  at  least  doubled.  For  the  above  purposes  your  peti- 
tioner asks  that  $25,000  per  year,  in  addition  to  the  requests  of  the  Regents, 
for  the  next  biennium  be  appropriated. 

Wherever  the  country  boy  turns  for  his  schooling  the  slant  of  his  instruc- 
tion is  all  toward  the  city.  There  should  be  one  college  in  the  State  where 
the  educational  inclination  is  back  toward  the  land,  and  where  the  boy  will 
not  be  breasting,  as  a  tide,  a  majority  of  his  fellows  bearing  him  away  to 
town. 

There  is  only  one  way  to  that  end,  and  that  is  by  eliminating  the  inter- 
ests inimical  to  the  central  function,  whatever  it  may  be — just  as  the  gov- 
ernment eliminates  when  it  teaches  war  by  land  in  one  place,  and  at  another, 
war  at  sea. 

Your  petitioner  desires  to  bespeak  at  Manhattan,  on  its  industrial  and 
professional  side,  an  agricultural  "West  Point,"  where  the  strategy  and 
tactics  of  the  great  life-sustainer,  agriculture,  may  be  taught  with  the  same 
singleness  of  purpose  as,  on  the  Hudson,  are  taught  the  strategy  and  tactics 
of  the  great  life-destroyer,  war. 

The  introduction  in  the  legislature  of  this  petition  by  Regent 
Taylor  produced  consternation  among  the  Faculty,  the  students, 
the  alumni,  and  the  thousands  of  patrons  of  the  College.  No  one 
doubted  the  sincerity  of  the  Regent.  He  had  been  a  public  man  in 
Kansas  for  many  years  and  was  well  known  and  highly  respected, 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  l^'i! 

but  it  was  difficult  to  understand  how  he  could  have  arrived  at  his 
conclusions.  Conferences  were  held  to  discuss  tl ie  situation  and  bo 
discover  whether  there  were  perhaps  others  who  wished  to  see 
the  College  limit  its  instruction  to  the  course  in  agriculture.  The 
students  held  mass  meetings  to  consider  ways  and  means  to  pro- 
tect the  interest  of  the  institution.  Numerous  committees  were 
appointed  to  inform  the  members  of  the  legislature  of  the  inevita- 
ble results  of  a  victory  of  the  University.  President  Nichols, 
Regent  Blackburn,  Ex-Regent  Hessin  and  others  were  urged 
to  go  to  Topeka  and  work  against  the  bill  that  had  already 
been  introduced  in  both  houses.  Arguments  and  statistics  refu- 
ting the  statements  of  the  University  report  were  being  printed 
and  distributed.  Much  enthusiasm  was  manifested,  and  students 
from  all  the  different  courses  went  to  work  to  prevent  the  disinte- 
gration of  the  great  technical  school  of  which  they  were  a  part. 
The  legislators  were  almost  snowed  under  by  letters  informing 
them  of  the  real  animus  and  condition  of  things,  and  the  result 
was  that  in  a  few  days  the  sentiment  among  the  lawmakers  was 
changed,  that  the  bills  asking  for  the  division  of  the  College  were 
considered  "hopeless,"  and  that  they  quietly  vanished  from  the 
calendars  before  they  had  been  seriously  considered. 

The  students  naturally  felt  greatly  elated  over  the  success  of 
the  College,  and,  in  order  to  prevent  possible  attacks  that  might 
be  made  in  other  forms,  they  invited  the  members  of  the  legisla- 
ture to  come  to  Manhattan  at  the  expense  of  the  student  body 
and  see  for  themselves  the  great  institution  and  its  work  and 
methods.  The  invitation  was  accepted,  and  a  few  days  later  the 
lawmakers  and  their  wives  and  friends — more  than  400  of  them  — 
came  to  the  Agricultural  College.  It  was  a  red-letter  day 
for  the  students.  A  bountiful  dinner  was  served  by  the  young 
women  of  the  Domestic  Science  Department,  an  Auditorium  pro- 
gram was  arranged,  a  drill  on  the  campus  and  a  band  concert 
were  given,  and  the  legislators  returned  to  Topeka  satisfied  that 
the  College  was  a  grand  technical  school — ideal  and  indivisible. 

To  fully  discuss  the  many  aspects  of  the  controversy,  and  the 
reasons  of  the  College  for  resisting  the  absorption  plans  of  the 
University,  would  require  the  space  of  a  book.  There  were  many, 
and  only  a  few  can  be  epitomized  here.     The  College  held: 

That  it  had  carried  out,  with  evident  success  and  as  far  as  its 
means  would  permit,  the  intention  of  the  organic  act. 

That  it  had  defined  the  terms  "agriculture  and  the  mechanic 
arts  "  in  conformity  with  over  ninety  per  cent  of  the  land-grant 
institutions  and  in  conformity  with  the  explicit  statements  of  U.  S. 


204  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Senator  Justin  A.  Morrill,  the  framer  and  father  of  the  said  bill. 

That  the  terms  "agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  "  cannot  be 
denned  narrowly  as  "farming  and  tinkering,"  but  that  both  must 
be  translated  in  a  liberal  manner  and  in  a  large  way. 

That  ''agriculture"  as  understood  by  every  college  in  America 
includes  "the  whole  galaxy  of  the  sciences  and  arts  pertaining 
to  food  production  and  food  preservation" — farming,  vegeta- 
ble gardening,  stock  raising,  veterinary  science,  poultry  raising, 
bee  keeping,  dairying,  fruit  raising,  food  preservation,  milling, 
grain  storing,  meat  packing,  etc.,  also  the  related  subjects  of  for- 
estry, floriculture,  landscaping,  tobacco  growing,  flax  and  cotton 
growing,  wool  production,  food  analysis,  meteorology,  irrigation, 
drainage,  etc.,  etc. 

That  the  term  "mechanic  arts"  must  evidently  be  defined  in 
an  equally  liberal  and  broad  manner  as  meaning  not  only  the 
crafts  of  blacksmithing  and  carpentry — trades  for  which  a  costly 
and  extended  college  education  is  hardly  necessary — but  the 
whole  galaxy  of  the  sciences  and  arts  pertaining  to  the  manufac- 
ture and  use  of  hand  tools  and  machine  tools — the  whole  ex- 
tended field  of  tool  and  machine  construction  (mechanical  engi- 
neering), road  and  bridge  building  (civil  engineering),  irrigation 
and  drainage  (irrigation  engineering),  building  operations  of  every 
kind  (architecture),  transportation  (railroad  engineering),  power 
transmission  (electrical  engineering),  etc. 

That  the  effective  modern  mechanic  is  a  high-grade  specialist — 
an  engineer — not  the  village  tinker er  and  cobler  of  two  genera- 
tions ago.     The  mechanic  grew  as  his  art  grew. 

That  the  removing  of  the  instruction  in  the  mechanic  arts,  even 
if  a  little  shop  work  were  retained,  would  inevitably  lead  to  a  divi- 
sion with  the  State  University  of  the  endowment  fund  and  the 
annual  government  contributions  of  the  College  and  that  the 
resulting  reduction  of  the  attendance  would  at  once  reduce  the 
College  to  the  ranks  of  an  unimportant  and  obscure  school — an  in- 
stitution of  inferior  spirit  and  low  ideals. 

That  a  consolidation  with  the  University  under  one  board  of  re- 
gents would  result  in  a  speedy  deterioration  of  the  College.  That 
it  would  be  far  better  in  this  case  to  at  once  remove  the  whole 
plant  to  Lawrence  and  "be  done  with  it." 

That  the  influence  of  the  engineering  work  upon  the  student 
of  agriculture  is  beneficial  in  many  ways  and  that  in  accordance 
with  positive  statistics  many  students  change  their  intended 
courses  from  engineering  to  agriculture  and  none  from  agricul- 
ture to  engineering. 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  205 

That,  iti  is  sophistical  and  incorrecl  fco  measure  fche  comparative 
work  of  the  College  in  agricultural  lines  by  the  per  cent  of  its 
agricultural  graduates;  that  the  veterinary  science  graduates, 
the  women  graduates  in  domestic  science  and  many  of  the grad 
uates  from  the  general  science  course  should  be  counted  with  the 
agriculturists  rather  than  with  the  engineers,  and  that  the  hun- 
dreds of  students  who  take  partial  courses  in  agriculture,  or  who 
take  short  courses  in  farming  or  dairy  work,  should  be  con- 
sidered also. 

That  ninety-nine  per  cent  of  all  the  auxiliary  work  of  the  College, 
such  as  the  Experiment  Station  work,  the  farmers'  institute 
work,  the  College  extension  work,  the  College  expert  work  in  vet- 
erinary science,  in  pure  food  analysis,  in  good  roads  construction, 
in  nursery  inspection,  etc.,  is  strictly  contributive  to  agriculture, 
and  that  those  who  fail  to  credit  the  institution  for  this  immense 
amount  of  work  are  either  ignorant  or  "influenced." 

That  the  State  University  does  not  provide  courses  in  architec- 
ture and  printing. 

That  students  of  engineering  do  not  take  courses  of  from  four 
to  six  years  without  expecting  a  diploma  at  graduation,  and  that 
the  diploma  should  state  "facts." 

That  the  prospective  engineers  do  not  care  to  spend  four 
years  in  the  high  school  when  that  school  devotes  half  of  its  daily 
program  to  Latin,  German,  obsolete  English  literature  and  ancient 
history.  He  looks  for  preparatory  training  in  mathematics,  phys- 
ical science,  biology,  physical  geography,  and  modern  English. 
He  feels  that  he  can  eliminate  the  former  studies  and  get  the  lat- 
ter in  less  time. 

That  the  statement  that  one  institution  with  four  or  five  thou- 
sand students  can  do  better  work  than  two  institutions  with  two 
thousand  or  twenty-five  hundred  students,  each,  is  an  untried 
theory.  Educators  who  are  in  position  to  know  admit  that  the 
line  of  effective  attendance  has  an  upward  tendency,  but  none 
place  it  far  from  the  two  thousand  mark.  Its  location  depends  on 
the  character  of  the  institution,  its  work,  its  means,  and  the  pre- 
paratory training  of  its  students. 

That  the  purpose  of  the  school  system  of  Kansas  is  not  to  fur- 
nish freshmen  to  its  higher  institutions  of  learning.  Only  a  very 
small  fraction  of  one  per  cent  of  the  youth  of  the  State  ever 
become  students  at  Lawrence.  Even  the  high  schools  should 
have  a  much  broader  and  more  practical  aim. 


206  KANSAS  STATE  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

XVIII. 

MISCELLANEOUS  ITEMS  AND  REMINISCENCES. 

The  stone  fence  of  the  old  Bluemont  farm  was  built  in  1869. 

The  Engineering  Association  was  organized  near  the  end  of  the 
College  year  1903- '04. 

"Undue  social  attention  is  not  allowed,"  is  the  way  the  early 
catalogues  used  to  put  it. 

In  the  summer  of  1867  there  were  but  sixteen  acres  of  the  Col- 
lege farm  under  the  plow. 

The  first  locomotive  passed  over  the  bridge  of  the  Blue  at  Man- 
hattan in  the  summer  of  1866. 

As  late  as  1829  the  school  board  of  Boston,  Mass.,  refused  to 
admit  young  women  to  the  public  high  school. 

The  bell  in  the  tower  of  Anderson  Hall  was  donated  to  the  Col- 
lege in  1864,  by  Joseph  Ingalls,  of  Swampscott,  Mass. 

In  1867  the  value  of  the  land  endowment  of  the  College  was  es- 
timated at  $500,000,  almost  exactly  the  amount  realized  twenty 
years  later. 

A  prominent  feature  of  the  Commencement  exercises  of  1880 
consisted  in  a  plowing  match  by  the  members  of  the  senior  class 
in  agriculture. 

Fifteen  of  the  students  of  the  College  served  in  the  United 
States  army  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  three  of  these 
died  in  the  service. 

The  University  of  Zurich,  Switzerland,  was  the  first  higher 
institution  of  learning  in  Europe  to  admit  women.  In  1852  it 
enrolled  two  women  students. 

The  rules  of  conduct  as  published  in  the  catalogue  of  1866- '67 
contain  fourteen  different  paragraphs.  Pres.  John  A.  Anderson 
boiled  them  down  to  one :   behave  or  leave. 

The  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College  is  the  third  institution 
of  higher  learning  established  in  the  State.  St.  Mary's  College 
claims  to  be  the  first  and  Baker  University  the  second. 

In  1897- '98  Pres.  T.  E.  Will  contributed  editorial  matter  to  the 
extent  of  80,000  words  to  the  Industrialist.  Professor  Bemis 
furnished  15,000  words,  and  Mrs.  Helen  Campbell  10,000  words. 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  207 

The  Kansas  state  Agricultural  College  was  one  of  the  few  edu 
cationa]  institutions  selected  by  the  Lnterior  Department  to  repre 
sent  American  education  at  the  Exposition  Universeile  at  Paris  in 
L889. 

The  catalogue  of  1870-71  promised  those  who  should  complete 
the  course  in  agriculture  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Agriculture, 
but  for  unknown  reasons  the  degree  was  never  conferred  upon 
any  one. 

The  first  and  second  editions  of  the  "College  Lyric"  were  com- 
piled by  Prof.  A.  B.  Brown  in  the  later  eighties.  The  third  edi- 
tion was  compiled  by  Profs.  Olof  Valley,  J.  E.  Kammeyer,  and  C. 
M.  Brink. 

The  Students'  Herald  was  founded  in  1895.  It  was  published  as 
a  weekly  till  1908,  when  it  was  changed  to  a  semi-weekly.  The 
first  number  of  the  Alumnus  appeared  in  1902  under  the  name  of 
Jayhawker. 

The  first  and  only  lady  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents  was 
Mrs.  Susan  J.  P.  St.  John,  of  Olathe,  the  wife  of  Ex-Governor  St. 
John.  She  was  appointed  by  Governor  Leedy  in  1897  and  served 
three  years. 

The  discovery  of  the  inexhaustible  salt  beds  of  Kansas  was 
anticipated  by  Prof.  B.  P.  Mudge  in  several  of  his  scientific  arti- 
cles, but  the  College  catalogue  of  1864- '65  antedated  the  profes- 
sor's predictions. 

The  first  microscope  that  came  into  possession  of  the  College 
was  ordered  from  Germany  in  1872  by  Prof.  H.  T.  Detmers,  D.  V. 
S.  It  had  three  oculars  and  four  lenses  and  magnified  eleven 
hundred  diameters. 

The  first  bridges  across  the  Blue  and  Kansas  rivers  at  Manhat- 
tan were  built  in  1870.  The  Rocky  Ford  dam  and  mill  were  built 
in  1869.  The  cement  concrete  dam  and  the  electric  power  plant 
were  constructed  in  1908-'09. 

Many  elderly  gentlemen  sufficiently  know,  and  more  young 
gentlemen  will  duly  discover,  that  systematic  knowledge  of  how 
cooking  ought  to  be  done  is  luminously  different  from  the  ability 
to  do  it. — Pres.  John  A.  Anderson. 

Five  of  the  alumni  of  the  College  have  served  on  the  Board  of 
Regents,  namely:  W.  H.  Phipps,  1898-1899;  R.  J.  Brock,  1903-1904; 
C.  E.  Friend,  1903-1905;  J.  W.  Berry,  1903-1907;  J.  O.  Tulloss,  ap- 
pointed in  1903  and  still  a  member  of  the  Board. 


208  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

The  Eurodelphian  Literary  Society  of  the  College  was  organ- 
ized January  14,  1905.  Its  motto  is  Dum  vivimus,  vivamus  and  its 
colors  are  brown  and  gold.  There  were  twenty-four  charter 
members.     The  society  admits  only  women  to  membership. 

The  youngest  volunteer  in  the  Kansas  contingent  of  the  United 
States  army  in  the  Spanish  war  was  Bolivar  K.  Walters,  of  the 
22nd  Kansas  regiment.  Bolivar  K.  was  less  than  eighteen  years 
old  when  he  enlisted  from  the  sophomore  class  of  the  College. 

The  first  item  of  the  old  Faculty  records,  as  preserved  in  the 
vaults  of  the  College,  is  dated  February  19.  1866,  and  contains  the 
resolutions  passed  by  the  Faculty  in  regard  to  the  death  of  Prof. 
N.  O.  Preston.  The  professor  had  died  of  apoplexy  in  his  class 
room. 

The  Agricultural  Association  of  the  College  was  organized  No- 
vember 17,  1902,  by  twenty  members  of  the  agricultural  course, 
and  has  held  regular  meetings  ever  since.  In  1903  and  1904  it 
held  stock-judging  contests  and  for  several  years  it  published  a 
weekly  paper. 

The  Alumni  Association  of  the  College  at  their  Commencement 
meeting,  June  23,  1874,  presented  Ex-President  Dr.  Joseph  Deni- 
son  with  a  silver  ice  pitcher,  silver  goblet  and  bowl,  as  a  token  of 
esteem  by  his  former  pupils.  The  presentation  speeches  were 
made  by  Chas.  O.  Whedon,  '71,  and  S.  W.  Williston,  '72. 

The  lumber  for  the  old  Bluemont  College  Hall,  12,000  feet  of 
white  pine,  came  to  Manhattan  on  a  river  steamboat — the  Gus 
Lind — in  1859.  It  was  in  charge  of  J.  H.  Brouse,  the  father  of 
three  of  the  College  graduates,  who  also  erected  the  building. 
After  unloading,  the  Gus  Lind  proceeded  to  Junction  City. 

The  first  scientific  organization  at  the  College  was  the  "Ama- 
teurs of  Science."  It  was  in  existence  in  1872  and  met  regularly 
once  a  week  until  the  spring  of  1873.  Candidates  for  admission 
had  to  pass  a  written  examination  in  three  branches  of  natural 
science.  Prof.  B.  F.  Mudge  was  the  president  and  Miss  Lizzie  T. 
Williams  the  secretary. 

The  Commencement  address  of  1875,  by  Noble  L.  Prentiss, 
"The  World  a  School,"  has  seen  five  different  pamphlet  and  book 
editions.  It  was  given  by  Prentiss  while  he  was  a  typo  in  Geo. 
Martin's  printing-office  in  Junction  City.  He  wrote  the  literary 
masterpiece  on  an  overturned  dry-goods  box  in  a  corner  of  the 
office,  working  on  it  piece  meal,  five  or  ten  minutes  at  a  time. 


Kansas  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  209 

The  University  of  Bologna,  in  the  year  L237,  gave  as  reasons  for 
not  allowing  women  to  enter  the  university:  "Whereas  woman  is 
the  foundation  of  sin — the  weapon  of  the  Devil  the  cause  of 
man's  banishment  from  Paradise — for  these  reasons  all  associa 
tion  with  her  is  to  be  diligently  avoided.  Therefore  do  we  inter- 
dict the  introduction  of  any  woman,  however  honorable  she  be." 

The  Hamilton  Literary  Society  was  organized  on  November  8, 
1834.  There  were  sixteen  charter  members.  Thomas  Bassler 
was  its  first  president  and  B.  Needham  its  first  secretary.  The 
charter  is  dated  January  29,  1886,  and  the  motto  is  "Truth  con- 
quers all  things."  The  society  met  first  in  the  attic  of  Anderson 
Hall  and  later  in  the  basement  of  Fairchild  Hall,  where  it  still 
holds  its  weekly  meetings. 

The  Ionian  Literary  Society  was  founded  in  the  fall  of  1887.  It 
had  twenty-three  organizing  members.  The  officers  for  the  first 
year  were:  Julia  R.  Pierce,  president;  Dora  Van  Zile,  vice-presi- 
dent; Nellie  P.  Little,  recording  secretary;  Carrie  K.  Hunter,  cor- 
responding secretary;  Tina  Louise  Coburn,  marshal.  Meetings 
were  held  at  first  in  the  north  corridor  of  Anderson  Hall.  In  the 
spring  of  1890  the  society  gave  its  first  public  entertainment. 

The  first  landscape  design  for  the  location  of  the  College  build- 
ings and  the  improvement  of  the  campus  was  made  in  1872 
by  Prof.  Henry  Worrall,  of  Topeka.  His  designs  were  never 
used.  The  second  was  drawn  by  Prof.  Max  Kern,  of  Columbia, 
Mo.,  in  1885.  This  was  followed  by  Prof.  E.  A.  Popenoe  in  plant- 
ing the  shelter  belt  and  the  main  tree  groups.  The  semi-circular 
court  of  buildings  was  suggested  by  Prof.  J.  D.  Walters,  in  land- 
scape designs  made  in  1884  and  1895. 

The  figures  show  that  the  Agricultural  College  is  the  most  eco- 
nomically conducted  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States  and 
at  the  same  time  it  ranks  as  one  of  the  greatest  if  not  the  greatest 
agricultural  school  in  the  world.  Here  is  a  comparison  of  the  cost 
of  educating  students  at  some  of  the  leading  agricultural  colleges 
of  the  United  States  per  annum.  At  the  agricultural  college  of 
Colorado  it  costs  $253  per  student  per  annum;  in  Indiana  the  cost 
is  $175  per  student;  in  Iowa,  $191  per  student;  in  Michigan,  $330; 
in  North  Dakota,  $178;  in  Oklahoma,  $177;  in  South  Dakota,  $195; 
in  Kansas,  $111.  The  cost  per  student  is  41  per  cent  below  the 
average  cost  in  other  agricultural  colleges.  It  is  also  much  less 
than  the  cost  per  student  at  any  of  the  state  universities.  The 
cost  per  student  at  our  own  University  is  $165  per  student,  which 


210  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

is  below  the  average,  but  is  $54  per  student  higher  than  the  cost 
at  the  Agricultural  College,  which  knocks  out  the  argument  that 
the  State  could  better  afford  to  educate  all  of  its  students  at  the 
University.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  according  to  the  showing  made 
by  the  State  University  and  the  Agricultural  College,  it  would  cost 
the  State  more  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum  in  ex- 
cess of  the  present  cost  if  the  Manhattan  student  body  were 
moved  down  to  Lawrence. — President  Nichols. 

The  first  telephone  exhibited  in  Kansas  was  the  property  of 
Prof.  Wm.  K.  Kedzie.  It  was  constructed  by  the  Mechanical  De- 
partment after  his  directions.  In  the  summer  of  1877  the  pro- 
fessor gave  "illustrated"  lectures  on  the  telephone  in  a  large 
number  of  Kansas  towns.  Supt.  W.  C.  Stewart,  of  the  telegraph 
department,  accompanied  him  as  manipulator,  and  Prof.  J.  D. 
Walters  furnished  the  cornet  solos  over  the  telegraph  wires  from 
the  telegraphy  class  room  in  the  mechanical  building. 

Jesse  Gardner,  a  student  from  Huscher,  in  Cloud  county,  met 
death  through  an  accident  at  the  College  January  26,  1904.  He 
was  working  in  the  engine-room  of  the  power  plant  and  for  some 
reason  went  down  the  stairway  into  the  pump  pit,  which  is  a  well 
about  20  feet  deep.  This  hole  was  covered  with  boards,  which  in 
some  way  became  dislodged  and  fell  upon  the  boy  below,  killing 
him  instantly.  The  falling  platform  broke  the  hot-water  pipes 
and  the  water  rose  in  the  well  so  that  the  body  was  covered  with 
several  feet  of  water. 

In  the  fall  of  1901  it  became  evident  that  the  four  literary  so- 
cieties of  the  College  were  overcrowded  and  that  a  new  one  must 
be  organized  to  give  all  the  students  an  occasional  chance  to  take 
active  part  in  the  program.  The  result  was  that  the  Franklin  So- 
ciety was  started.  It  met  for  awhile  in  the  Women's  Gymnasium. 
Later  it  was  given  permanent  quarters  in  the  southwest  room  of 
the  basement  of  Fairchild  Hall.  From  its  start  the  Franklins 
have  admitted  both  sexes  to  full  membership  and  have  maintained 
a  high  standard  in  their  programs. 

The  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  of  the  College  was 
organized  November  17,  1885,  with  Miss  F.  Henrietta  Willard  (Cal- 
vin), president,  and  Miss  Nellie  Cottrell  (Stiles),  secretary.  In 
the  fall  of  1907  the  association  moved  into  the  roomy  new  building 
erected  for  it  on  Bluemont  Avenue  under  a  five-year  contract. 
Before  this  time  it  had  rented  cramped  quarters  from  year  to  year 
in  different  parts  of  the  city.  It  is  expected  that  the  young  women 
with  the  assistance  of  their  friends  will  be  able  to  build  a  perma- 
nent home  when  the  present  lease  expires. 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  211 

In  1SS1  the  students  and  the  faculty  organized  a  Scientific 
Club,  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  original  research.  The  club 
met  once  a  week  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  old  Laboratory  building 
and  did  good  work  for  over  a  dozen  years.  It  undoubtedly  had 
much  to  do  with  the  development  of  students  who  became  experts 
in  biological  or  physical  science  lines  (Warren  Knaus,  T.  C.  Allen, 
D.  S.  Leach,  J.  T.  Willard,  W.  J.  Griffing,  Henry  Cottreh1,  Silas 
Mason,  C.  L.  Marlatt,  Thomas  Bassler,  P.  J.  Rogers,  P.  H.  Fair- 
child,  M.  A.  Carleton,  D.  W.  Working,  H.  S.  Willard,  W.  T.  Swin- 
gle, K.  C.  Davis,  P.  A.  Waugh,  and  others). 

The  College  Y.  M.  C.  A.  was  organized  November  8,  1885.  D. 
G.  Robertson,  '86,  was  its  first  president,  and  C.  A.  Murphy,  '87, 
its  first  secretary.  Por  several  years  the  Sunday  meetings  were 
held  in  the  old  Horticultural  Hall.  In  1890  the  association  pub- 
lished its  first  directory  for  new  students  and  organized  a  recep- 
tion committee  to  meet  them  on  the  train.  The  first  permanent 
quarters  consisted  of  rented  rooms  on  Leavenworth  street.  In 
the  fall  of  1908  the  association  moved  into  its  beautiful  home  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  city  park.  A  history  of  the  building 
will  be  found  on  page  147  and  a  half-tone  on  page  153. 

The  Kansas  legislature  visited  the  Agricultural  College  in  a 
body  in  1872  and  1909.  Governor  James  Harvey  accompanied 
them  at  their  first  visit.  The  first  legislative  party  had  to  remain 
over  night  in  the  city  and  were  entertained  with  a  dance  given  in 
the  dining-room  of  the  newly  erected  Adams  House.  At  their 
second  visit  they  were  entertained  by  automobile  rides,  addresses 
in  the  Auditorium,  a  dinner  served  by  the  Department  of  Domes- 
tic Science,  and  a  military  drill  on  the  campus.  The  expenses  of 
the  first  visit  were  borne  by  the  citizens  of  Manhattan  and  those 
of  the  second  visit,  inclusive  of  a  special  train,  by  the  students. 

Prom  1874  to  1891  the  College  had  a  department  Of  telegraphy 
and  gave  regular  courses  in  this  art.  During  the  eleven  years 
between  1879  and  1890  there  were  enrolled  a  total  of  719  students 
in  this  department.  Of  these,  163  were  young  women  and  556 
young  men.  It  may  seem  odd  to  the  present  generation  of  stu- 
dents that  there  should  have  been  such  a  department,  but  it  must 
be  remembered  that  before  the  advent  of  the  telephone  the  Morse 
clicker  was  a  very  important  office  tool.  Pres.  John  A.  Anderson 
and  several  members  of  the  Faculty  were  expert  telegraphers, 
and  the  College  had  over  two  dozen  line  offices.  The  superintend- 
ents of  the  department  were  Prank  C.  Jackson  (1874),  W.  C.  Stew" 
art  (1874-79),  I.  D.  Graham  (1879- '90),  E.  R.  Nichols  (1890-'91). 


212  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

A  novel  exhibit  in  the  Kansas  section  of  the  educational  build- 
ing at  the  St.  Louis  world's  fair  was  invented  by  Pres.  E.  R.  Nich- 
ols and  built  by  the  College  workshop.  It  was  a  rotating  machine 
that  showed  100  pictures  of  the  College.  The  pictures  were 
arranged  on  a  cylinder  so  that  four  of  them  were  exposed  at  a 
time  and  so  that  it  took  ten  minutes  for  the  whole  series  to  be 
visible.  A  small  electric  motor  fed  from  Machinery  Hall  fur- 
nished the  motive  power.  In  1893  a  similar  machine  was  placed 
in  the  Kansas  building  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at 
Chicago,  but  it  acted  obstreperous  and  was  ultimately  turned 
"face  to  the  wall. " 

The  Athletic  Association  was  organized  in  1897.  Up  to  that  time 
the  College  had  done  very  little  in  team  athletics.  It  owes  its  ex- 
istence and  much  of  its  success  to  the  effective  interest  of  Asst. 
M.  Francis  Ahearn.  of  the  Department  of  Horticulture,  who  is 
still  its  trainer  and  chaperon.  The  College  team  rapidly  became 
one  of  the  first  of  the  West,  and  in  1906  it  became  the  champion  of 
the  State  in  football,  baseball,  and  basket-ball.  The  track  team 
was  organized  in  1905  and  became  State  champion  in  1905,  '08, 
and  '09.  The  club  is  a  student  organization,  but  it  has  always  been 
under  a  manager  from  the  Faculty.  Professors  Mayo,  McCor- 
mick,  Kammeyer,  Dean,  Hamilton  and  Cortelyou  have  given  much 
time  to  this  work. 

The  first  literary  society  of  the  College  was  the  "Bluemont  Lit. 
erary  Society,"  but  it  seems  that  its  history  and  dissolution  are 
shrouded  in  mystery.  The  result  of  the  turmoil  which  accom- 
panied and  succeeded  its  demise  was  the  organization  of  the  pres- 
ent ''Webster  Literary  Society"  under  the  original  caption  of  the 
"Websterian  Literary  Debating  Society,"  as  proposed  by  Mr.  Wr. 
Williston.  The  date  of  the  birth  of  the  "Websters  "  is  October  12, 
1868.  A  charter  was  secured  in  January,  1871.  At  the  sugges- 
tion of  Professor  Hougham,  who  proposed  to  give  five  dollars,  pro- 
vided the  society  should  give  an  equal  amount,  a  library  was 
started  in  February,  1872,  which  in  1885  numbered  250  volumes. 
At  this  time  the  College  library  had  become  so  large  that  a  sep- 
arate library  was  deemed  unnecessary,  and  the  books  were  sold 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  furnishing  a  new  meeting  room  in  the 
attic  of  Anderson  Hall.  The  first  annual  exhibition  was  given  in 
March,  1883.  In  1896  the  Websters  moved  into  their  present 
permanent  quarters  in  the  basement  of  Fairchild  Hall.  The  motto 
of  the  society  has  always  been:    "Labor  Omnia  Vincit." 


Kansas  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  218 

Lieut.  Col.  Andrew  s.  Rowan,  professor  of  military  science  and 
tactics  of  this  College  in  L902and  L903,  was  something  of  a  national 
character.  He  was  the  U.  S.  soldier  " who  carried  the  message  to 
Garcia''  in  the  interior  of  Cuba  at  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish 
war  in  L898.  The  story  of  his  adventurous  trip,  bold  by  Elbert 
Hubbard,  was  first  printed  in  the  Philistine  Magazine,  March,  L899. 
It  was  then  issued  in  form  of  a  booklet  by  the  Roycrofters,  at  the 
Roy  croft  shop  at  East  Aurora,  Erie  county,  New  York.  Later  it 
was  published  as  one  of  the  Four  Truck  Series  of  the  New  York 
Central  and  Hudson  River  Railway  Company,  for  travel  reading 
purposes. 

The  College  song  —  "Alma  Mater"  —  was  written  and  composed 
by  H.  W.  Jones,  '88.  It  is  the  prize  song  of  a  student  contest  — 
the  song  of  every  College  occasion.     The  text  is  as  follows : 

I  know  a  spot  that  I  love  full  well, 
'Tis  not  in  the  forest  nor  yet  in  dell; 
Ever  it  holds  me  with  magic  spell  — 
I  think  of  thee,  Alma  Mater. 

Chorus. 

K.  S.  A.  C.j  carry  thy  banner  high! 
K.  S.  A.  C,  long  may  thy  colors  fly! 
Loyal  to  thee  thy  children  will  swell  the  cry, 
Hail!  Hail!  Hail!  Alma  Mater. 

There  is  a  song  that  my  heart  would  sing, 
Telling  of  homage  that  love  can  bring; 
Clear  and  impassioned  its  tones  shall  ring — 
I  sing  of  thee  Alma  Mater. 

Bright  gleams  a  beacon  across  life's  sea, 
Guiding  my  bark  wheresoe'er  it  be; 
Emblem  of  truth  and  of  constancy  — 
I  turn  to  thee,  Alma  Mater. 

The  Alpha  Beta  Literary  Society  is  a  twin  sister  of  the  Webster 
Society.  They  were  organized  simultaneously  as  a  result  of  the 
breaking  up  of  the  Bluemont  Literary  Society,  in  October,  1868. 
It  was  the  first  society  of  the  College  that  admitted  women  to  full 
membership,  which  was  done  in  1874.  In  1870  it  obtained  a  State 
charter.  The  Alpha  Beta  paper,  called  the  Literary  Ensign,  first 
appeared  in  December,  1868.  Seven  years  after  the  first  number 
of  the  Ensign,  the  present  paper,  The  Gleaner,  was  started.  In 
1884  selections  were  made  from  these  papers  and  published  in 
form  of  a  neatly  printed  and  bound  volume  called  the  "Gleaner 
Gleaned."  In  1877  a  dramatic  entertainment  (Among  the  Break- 
ers) was  given  down  town  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  library 


214  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

fund,  and  for  eight  years  the  society  possessed  an  up-to-date 
library.  The  growth  of  the  College  library,  however,  made  this 
unnecessary  and  it  was  sold  to  buy  furniture  and  carpets  for 
equipping  the  new  society  room  in  Anderson  Hall.  In  1896  it 
moved  into  its  new  quarters  in  the  basement  of  Pairchild  Hall. 

During  the  half  century  of  its  existence  the  College  has  lost 
four  buildings  by  fire.  In  1889  the  stone  boarding  hall,  near  the 
old  Bluemont  College  building,  burned  to  the  ground.  The  prop- 
erty had  been  sold  to  a  private  party,  but  the  College  still  had 
some  interest  in  it.  On  April  5,  1895,  the  President's  residence,  a 
neat  and  roomy  stone  house  that  stood  where  Agricultural  Hall  is 
located,  was  struck  by  lightning  and  totally  destroyed,  together 
with  all  the  furniture,  books,  and  other  belongings  of  President 
Fairchild.  On  June  3,  1900,  the  old  chemical  laboratory,  erected 
in  1876,  burned  to  the  ground,  the  fire  starting  in  the  chemical 
storeroom  from  unknown  causes.  The  walls  of  this  building  were 
not  damaged  much  and  were  used  with  few  changes  in  building 
the  Women's  Gymnasium.  Two  years  later  the  old  stone  resi- 
dence on  the  upper  College  farm,  a  building  that  had  practically 
been  abandoned  for  years,  burned  from  unknown  causes  during 
a  stormy  night. 

The  writer  of  this  has  often  wished  that  Pres.  John  A.  Anderson 
(1873- '79),  who  changed  the  institution  from  a  classical  college  to 
an  agricultural  and  mechanical  school,  and  whose  belief  in  modern 
education  was  the  beacon-light  of  every  one  of  his  educational  ex- 
periments, might  come  back  for  a  day  to  see  the  accumulated  re- 
sults of  his  efforts.  He  was  an  optomist;  but  would  not  the  pres- 
ent "City  on  the  Hill"  realize  his  dreams  of  the  " Ideal  College " 
which  he  described  in  his  handbook  of  1874?  Said  he:  "In  it, 
educational  common  sense  will  have  supplanted  uncommon  educa- 
tional nonsense.  Such  an  agricultural  college  will  be  in  keeping 
with  its  object,  with  the  requirements  and  genius  of  labor,  with 
itself.  And,  too,  it  will  be  in  keeping  with  a  rich,  broad  State, 
carpeted  by  emerald  grasses,  belted  by  golden  grain,  clumped 
with  orchards,  moving  with  herds,  clustered  with  villages, 
threaded  by  railways,  flecked  with  countless  smoke  offerings  from 
the  altars  of  industry  to  the  God  of  labor.  Some  day;  somewhere; 
somehow." — Doctor  Walters  in  Industrialist,  1905. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION. 

About  the  earliest  concerted  action  of  the  alumni  of  which 
knowledge  can  be  obtained  was  in  1874.  At  that  time  they  pre- 
sented a  gift  to  Ex-President  Joseph  Denison,  under  whose  ad- 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  215 

ministration  they  had  all  been  graduated,  and  rendered  an  ex 
tended  program  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  which  at  that  time 

was  used  for  all  College  exercises  requiring  a  large;  audience 
room.  No  permanent  organization  was  affected  at  that  time  and 
the  next  step  seems  to  have  been  due  to  the  class  of  L879,  which 
organized  an  alumni  association  with  an  elaborate  constitution  and 
by-laws  patterned  on  literary  society  models.  Later,  members  of 
other  classes  came  in,  mostly  recent  graduates,  as  some  of  the 
older  graduates  were  at  first  disposed  to  look  askance  upon  the 
organization.  The  following  paragraph  appeared  in  the  Industri- 
alist, Saturday,  June  12,  1880  : 

"We  understand  that  the  alumni  meeting,  called  for  last  Tues- 
day afternoon,  was  largely  attended,  and  that  a  thorough  organi- 
zation was  perfected.  We  have  received  no  report  of  the  meeting 
thus  far,  but  are  informed  that  a  grand  reunion  of  the  alumni  will 
take  place  at  the  College  at  next  Commencement.  We  hope  to  be 
able  to  give  the  names  of  the  officers  next  week." 

In  the  next  number,  in  a  report  by  A.  T.  Blain,  '79,  the  officers 
were  stated  as  follows:  President,  G.  H.  Pailyer;  vice-president, 
A.  N.  Godfrey;  secretary,  H.  C.  Rushmore;  treasurer,  A.  T.  Blain; 
marshal,  N.  A.  Richardson. 

This  organization  planned  a  reunion  with  an  alumni  address 
and  banquet  for  Commencement,  1881.  The  address  was  to  have 
been  given  by  W.  D.  Gilbert,  '74,  at  3  p.  m.,  June  8,  but  a  telegram 
in  the  morning  announced  his  sickness  and  inability  to  come. 
The  banquet  and  reunion  were  held  at  the  College  in  the  evening. 
Expenses  at  this  time  and  for  several  years  later  were  met  by 
voluntary  contributions,  with  the  treasurer  paying  the  deficit  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  dollars  himself. 

Reunions  were  held  in  1882,  1883,  and  1884.  In  1883  an  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  J.  J.  Points,  '67,  which  was  universally 
commended  as  of  unusual  merit,  and  in  1884  an  excellent  address 
was  given  by  W.  D.  Gilbert,  '74. 

By  1884  the  treasurer- ship  had  apparently  been  the  rounds  of 
those  willing  to  hold  the  sack,  and  it  was  voted  to  have  the  stated 
reunions  with  banquets  triennially,  the  exercises  of  intervening 
years,  in  addition  to  a  business  meeting,  being  left  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  executive  committee.  This  plan  is  still  followed,  and 
means  have  been  adopted  to  secure  sufficient  funds  to  meet  ex- 
penses, though  there  is  still  room  for  improvement  in  this  respect. 
The  triennial  addresses  have  been  as  follows : 

1887,  Some  Things  the  Passing  Years  Have  Taught  Us,  Albert 
Todd,  '72. 


216  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1890,  The  Evolution  of  Thought,  Marion  P.  Leasure,  '77. 

1893,  The  Past,  Present  and  Future  of  the  Agricultural  College. 
S.  Wendell  Willis  ton,  '72. 

1896,  The  Position  of  Science  in  the  Activities  of  Life,  P.  J. 
Rogers,  '85. 

1899,  The  Relation  of  the  American  Constitution  to  the  Modern 
Trust,  J.  W.  Shartel,  '84. 

1902,  Education  for  the  Home,  Nellie  Sawyer  Kedzie  Jones,  '76. 

1905,  Horace  Greeley  Down  to  Date,  F.  A.  Waugh,  '91. 

1908,  Recent  Discoveries  in  Physical  Science,  E.  F.  Nichols,  '88. 

In  the  language  of  the  present  constitution  the  object  of  the 
association  is  "The  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  College  and 
of  acquaintance  among  its  graduates."  The  latter  point  has  been 
well  attained,  not  only  by  means  of  the  triennial  reunions  but  by 
the  more  informal  ones  held  the  intervening  years,  which  are  to 
many  even  more  enjoyable  than  the  triennials  and  nearly  if  not 
quite  as  well  attended. 

In  1899  it  was  voted  "that  a  committee  of  seven  members  be 
appointed  to  appoint  a  committee  in  every  county  to  help  keep  up 
the  work  for  our  College."  Later  the  number  was  made  nine. 
This  committee  was  appointed,  but  never  met  in  the  entirety. 
Such  as  could  get  together  held  a  meeting  and  issued  a  circular  to 
the  alumni,  in  which  ways  that  assistance  could  be  given  were 
pointed  out: 

"(1)  By  bringing  the  work  of  the  College  before  the  leading 
farmers,  business  men,  statesmen,  and  newspapers  of  the  State, 
and  (2)  by  helping  the  College  to  place  its  catalogues  and  circulars 
in  the  hands  of  the  teachers  and  in  the  schools  of  the  State."  De- 
tailed suggestions  were  made  as  to  furnishing  news  of  alumni, 
extending  mailing  list  for  experiment  station  bulletins,  working 
up  farmers'  institutes,  etc. 

The  propriety  and  probable  advantage  to  the  College  of  alumni 
representation  on  the  Board  of  Regents  had  been  a  frequent  topic 
of  discussion,  and  in  1894  resolutions  were  adopted  looking 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  this  purpose.  The  next  winter 
considerable  effort  was  made  in  that  direction.  Nominations  of 
suitable  graduates  were  made  in  which  all  alumni  resident  in 
Kansas  were  given  an  opportunity  to  take  part,  and  the  names  of 
five  persons  receiving  the  highest  numbers  of  votes  were  pre- 
sented to  the  governor  by  a  committee.  At  this  interview  the 
claims  of  the  alumni  to  representation  were  also  fully  presented. 
However,  the  governor  did  not  appoint  any  alumnus  to  a  place  on 
the  Board. 


KANSAS  STATE    A-GKICUIiTURAL  COLLKUM 


1*17 


in  1898,  \v.  II.  I'hipps,  '95,  was  appointed  i<>  the  regency  by 
Governor  Leedy,  and  was  the  first  graduate  to  b<>  so  honored.  In 
1901,  R.  .).  Brock,  '91,  with  others,  was  appointed  by  Governor 

Stanley,   but    as   a   change   in   the   law   had    reduced   by  one   the 
number  of  Regents  to  be  appointed,  Mr.  Brock  relieved  the  sit 
uation  by  withdrawing.     In   L903,  (Governor  Bailey  appointed  .1. 
W.    Berry,    '83,   C.   E.   Friend,    '88,    R.   J.    Brock,    '91,  and  J.  (). 
Tulloss,  '99. 

In  1908  the  association  procured  oil  paintings  of  the  three 
deceased  ex-presidents,  Denison,  Anderson,  and  Fairchild.  Well 
organized  associations  exist  at  Washington,  Kansas  City,  and  Chi- 
cago, of  the  alumni  resident  in  or  near  those  cities.  These  hold 
annual  reunions  that  are  much  enjoyed  and  cannot  fail  to  do  much 
to  keep  alive  College  spirit. — Adapted  from  the  '06  Banner. 


Horticultural  Hall. 


15 


218  KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 


XIX. 


CHRONOLOGICAL  LIST  OF  REGENTS,  PRESIDENTS.  SECRETARIES,  PROFESSORS, 
SUPERINTENDENTS  AND  DIRECTORS,  LIBRARIANS,  ANNUAL  ADDRESSES, 
ETC. 

REGENTS. 

1863  Hon.  G.  W.  Collamore 1863 

1863  Hon.  D.  P.  Lowe,  Fort  Scott 1864 

1863  Hon.  A.  Spaulding 1864 

1863  Hon.  W.  F.  Woodworth 1866 

1863  Judge  J.  Pipher,  Manhattan 1868 

1863  Judge  L.  D.  Bailey,  Garden  City  1869 

1863  Hon.  S.  D.  .Houston,  Concordia 1869 

1863  Rev.  J.  G.  Reaser 1869 

1863  Hon.  T.  H.  Baker 1870 

1863  Rev.  R.  Cordley,  Lawrence 1871 

1863  Hon.  Thos.  Carney,  Governor  of  State,  ex  officio 1865 

1863  Hon.  W.  H.  H.  Lawrence,  Secretary  of  State,  ex  officio 1865 

1863  Hon.  I.  T.  Goodnow,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 

ex  officio,  Manhattan 1867 

1863  Rev.  J.  Denison,  President  of  the  College,  ex  officio 1873 

1865  Rev.  E.  Gale,  Lake  Worth,  Florida 1871 

1865  Rev.  D.  Earhart,  Atchison 1871 

1865  Hon.  S.  J.  Crawford,  Governor  of  State,  ex  officio,  Topeka 1868 

1865  Hon.  R.  A.  Barker,  Secretary  of  State,  ex  officio 1869 

1867  Rev.  P.  McVicar,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  ex 

officio,  Topeka 1871 

1868  Hon.  E.  C.  Manning,  Winiield 1870 

1868  Rev.  Charles  Reynolds 1874 

1868  Hon.  N.  Green,  Governor  of  State,  ex  officio 1869 

1869  Hon.  B.  J.  F.  Hanna,  Salina 1873 

1869  Hon.  John  McClenahan,  Ottawa 1873 

1869  Hon.  O.  J.  Grover,  Savannah 1873 

1869  Hon.  J.  M.  Harvey,  Governor  of  State,  ex  officio,  Riley 1873 

1869  Hon.  Thomas  Moonlight,  Secretary  of  State,  ex  officio,  Leavenworth  1871 

1870  Rev.  R.  D.  Parker,  Manhattan 1873 

1870  Hon.  H.  J.  Strickler 1873 

1870  Hon.  Alfred  Gray • 1873 

1870  Hon.  Geo.  W.  Higinbotham,  Manhattan 1873 

1871  Rev.  L.  Sternberg,  Fort  Harker 1873 

1871  Hon.  Joshua  Wheeler,  Nortonville 1873 

1871  Hon.  Thos.  A.  Osborn,  Governor  of  State,  ex  officio,  Topeka 1873 

1871  Hon.  W.  H.  Smallwood,  Secretary  of  State,  ex  officio 1873 

1871  Hon.  H.  D.  McCarty,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 

ex  officio 1873 

1873  Hon.  N.  Green 1874 

1873  Hon.  J.  K.  Hudson,  Topeka 1875 

1873  Hon.  Josiah  Copley,  Junction  City 1875 

1873  Hon.  James  Rogers,  Burlingame 1876 


Kansas  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  219 

L873  Hon.  N.  A.  Adams,  Manhattan L878 

L873  Rev,  Jno.  A.  Anderson,  President  of  the  College,  ex  officio 187!) 

1st  1  Hon.  <  harlea  B.  Bates,  Marysville L874 

L874  Hon.  J.  ll.  Folks,  Wellington 1S77 

IS74  Hon.  15.  L.  Kingsbury,  Burlington 1870 

L875  Hon.  M.  .).  Salter,  Thayer 1877 

lS7ti  Rev.  ,J.  Lawrence,  Manhattan 1878 

L876  Hon.  A.  H.  Horton,  Topeka L877 

1S77  Hon.  J.  R.  Hallowell,  Wichita L879 

1877  Hon.  T.  C.  Henry,  Denver,  Colo 1880 

1877  Hon.  Stephen  M.  Wood,  Elmdale L883 

1878  Hon.  L.  J.  Best,  Beloit 1878 

1878  Hon.  W.  L.  Challiss,  Atchison 1881 

1879  Hon.  E.  B.  Purcell,  Manhattan 1881 

1879  Hon.  D.  C.  McKay,  Ames 1883 

1879  Hon.  A.  L.  Redden,  El  Dorado 1883 

1879  Rev.  Geo.  T.  Fairchild,  President  of  the  College,  ex  officio 1897 

1880  Hon.  A.  J.  Hoising-ton,  Kansas  City,  Mo 1883 

1881  Hon.  John  Elliot,  Manhattan 1883 

1881  Hon.  V.  V.  Adamson,  Holton 1883 

1883  Hon.  F.  D.  Coburn,  Kansas  City,  Kas 1885 

1883  Hon.  H.  C.  Kellerman,  Burlington 1885 

1883  Rev.  Philip  Krohn,  Atchison 1885 

1883  Hon.  C.  E.  Gifford,  Clay  Centre 1885 

1883  Hon.  C.  A.  Leland,  El  Dorado 1886 

1883  Hon.  J.  T.  Ellicott,  Kansas  City,  Mo 1886 

1885  Hon.  Thos.  Henshall,  Kansas  City,  Kas : 1890 

1885  Hon.  T.  P.  Moore,  Holton 1893 

1885  Hon.  A.  B.  Lemmon,  Santa  Rosa,  Cal 1888 

1885  Hon.  A.  P.  Forsyth,  Liberty 1894 

1886  Hon.  Jno.  E.  Hessin,  Manhattan 1892 

1886  Hon.  J.  H.  Fullinwider,  El  Dorado 1887 

1887  Hon.  E.  N.  Smith,  El  Dorado 1889 

1888  Hon.  Joshua  Wheeler,  Norton ville 1894 

1889  Hon.  Morgan  Caraway,  Great  Bend 1892 

1890  Hon.  R.  W.  Finley ,  Oberlin 1893 

1892  Hon.  F.  M.  Chaffee,  Wyckoff 1893 

1892  Hon.  R.  P.  Kelley,  Eureka 1893 

1893  Hon.  Harrison  Kelley,  Burlington 1906,  1907,  1897 

1893  Hon.  W.  D.  Street,  Oberlin 1896 

1893  Hon.  Ed.  Secrest,  Randolph 1895 

1893  Hon.  E.  D.  Stratford,  ElDorado 1895 

1894  Hon.  C.  B.  Hoffman,  Enterprise 1899 

1894  Hon.  C.  E.  Goodyear,  Oatville 1897 

1896  Hon.  S.  J.  Stewart,  Humboldt 1897,  1901,  1903 

1895  Hon.  C.  B.  Daughters,  Lincoln 1898 

1895  Hon.  C.  R.  Noe,  Leon 1898 

1896  Hon.  C.  G.  Buckley,  Scandia 1897 

1896  Hon.  A.  P.  Riddle,  Minneapolis 1896 

1897  Mrs.  Susan  J.  St.  John,  Olathe 1901 

1897  Hon.  T.  J.  Hudson,  Fredonia 1899 

1897  Hon.  J.  N.  Limbocker,  Manhattan 1899 


220  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL   COLLEGE 

1897  Hon.  Geo.   M.  Munger,  Eureka 1899 

1898  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Phipps,  Belleville 1899 

1898  Hon.  Carl  Vrooman,  Douglass 1901 

1899  Hon.  E.  T.  Fairchild,  Ellsworth 1907 

1899  Hon.  J.  S.  McDowell,  Smith  Center 1909 

1899  Hon.  Wm.  Hunter,  Blue  Rapids 1903 

1899  Hon.  W.  T.  Yoe,  Independence 1901 

1899  Hon.  J.  M.  Satterthwaite,  Douglass 1903 

1901  Hon.  F.  D.  Coburn,  Topeka 1902 

1901  Prof.  E.  R.  Nichols,  President  of  the  College,  ex  officio - — 

1903  Hon.  R.  J.   Brock,  Manhattan 1904 

1903  Hon.  C.  E.  Friend,  Soldier 1905 

1903  Hon.  J.  W.  Berry,  Jewell  City 1907 

1903  Hon.  J.  O.  Tulloss,  Sedan 

1904  Hon.  Geo.  S.  Murphey,  Manhattan 1905 

1905  Judge  A.  M.  Story,  Manhattan 1909 

1905  Hon.  Geo.  P.  Griffith,  Hays 1909 

1907  Hon.  Edwin  Taylor,  Edwardsville 

1907  Hon.  W.  E.  Blackburn,  Anthony 

1909  Hon.  W.  A.  Harris,  Lawrence 

1909  Hon.  Arthur  Capper,  Topeka 

1909  Hon.  W.  J.  Todd,  Maple  Hill 

FACULTY. 
PRESIDENTS. 

1863  Joseph  Denison. 1873 

1873  John  A.  Anderson 1879 

1879  George  T.  Fairchild 1897 

1897  Thomas  E.  Will 1899 

1899  Ernest  R.  Nichols 

SECRETARIES. 

1864  J.  E.  Piatt 1871 

1871  Mrs.  Lizzie  J.  Williams  Champney 1873 

1873  J.  E.  Piatt 1881 

1881  I.  D.  Graham 1898 

1898  Wm.  H.  Phipps 1899 

1899  Lorena  E.  Clemens 

PROFESSORS. 

1863  Joseph  Denison,  '63-'66,  Ancient  Languages,  and  Mental  and  Moral 
Science;  '66-'69,  Mental  and  Moral  Science,  and  the  Greek  Lan- 
guage; '69-'70,  Mental  and  Moral  Science,  and  Political  Economy; 
'70-'73,  History,  Political  Economy,  and  Mental  and  Moral  Phil- 
osophy   1873 

1863  J.    G.  Schnebly,   Natural  History,  and  Lecturer  on  Agricultural 

Chemistry 1865 

1863  N.  O.  Preston,  Mathematics,  and  English  Literature 1866 

1864  C.  Hubschman,  Instrumental  Music 1866 

1865  B.  F.  Mudge,   '65-'70,  Natural    Science   and  Higher  Mathematics: 

'70-'74,  Natural  Sciences 1874 

1866  Gen.  J.  H.  Davidson,  '66-'68,  Military  Science  and  Tactics;  '68-'69, 

Military  Science  and  Tactics,  and  Teacher  of  French  and  Span- 
ish; '69-'70,  Military  Science  and  Tactics  and  Civil  Engineering, 

and  Teacher  of  French  and  Spanish 1870 


KANSAS  STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 


!21 


L866  .).  H.  Lee,  '<;<;- '«>«»,  Latin  Language  and  Literature;  '89-'70,  Latin 
and  Greek  Languages  and  Literature;  '70-'71,  Agricultural  Clas- 
sics; '71-'74,  Latin  and  English  Literature;  '74-'75,  English  and 

History L875 

L866  J.  W.  Bougham,  '66-'69,  Agricultural  Science:  '69-'70,  Agricul- 
tural and  Commercial  Science';  *70-'72,  Agricultural  Chemistry, 

Mechanic  Arts,  and  Commercial  Science L872 

L866  J.  E.  Piatt,  '66-'74,  Mathematics  and  Vocal  Music:  ,7l-,s:5,  Elemen- 
tary English  and  Mathematics L883 

L869  Miss   Mary    P.  Hovey,   '69-'70,   German  Language  and  Literature; 

'70-'72,  German  Language  and  English  Literature 1872 

L870  Fred  E.  Miller,  Practical  Agriculture 1874 

1870  E.  Gale,  '70-'75,  Horticulture  ('70-'71,  Instructor);  '75-'78,   Botany 

and  Practical  Horticulture 1878 


Domestic  Science  and  Art  Hall. 


1872  H.  J.  Detmers,  Veterinary  Science  and  Animal  Husbandry 1874 

1873  John  A.  Anderson,  Political  Economy  and  Logic 1878 

1873  M.  L.  Ward,  '73-'75,  Mathematics;  '75-'82,  Mathematics  and  Eng- 

lish; '82-'83s  Mathematics  and  Engineering- 1883 

1874  Wm.  K.  Kedzie,  Chemistry  and  Physics 1878 

1874  E.  M.  Shelton,  '74- '82,  Practical  Agriculture;  '82-'89,  Agriculture..   1889 
1874  J.  S.  Whitman,  Botany,  Entomology,  and  Geology 1876 

1877  John  D.  Walters,  '77-'85,  Industrial  Drawing;  '85-,  Industrial  Art 

and  Designing;  '04-.  Architecture  and  Drawing 

1878  George  H.  Pailyer,  '78-'85,  Chemistry  and  Physics;  '85-,  Chemistry 

and  Mineralogy 1897 

1878  H.  E.  Van  Deman,  Botany  and  Horticulture 1879 

1878  Wm.  L.  Hofer,  Music. 1886 

1879  Edwin  A.  Popenoe,  '79-'80,  Botany  and  Horticulture;  '80-'83,  Botany 

and  Zoology;  '83-'94,  Horticulture  and  Entomology,  '94-'97,  Ento- 
mology; reelected  '99,  Entomology  and  Zoology 1907 

1879  George  T.  Fairchild,  '79-'80,  Political  Economy;    '80-,  Logic  and 

Political  Economy 1897 

1881  Lieut.  Albert  Todd,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1884 

1882  Mrs.  N.  S.  Kedzie,  Household  Economy  and  Hygiene  ('82-,87,  In- 

structor)    1897 


222  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1882  W.  H.  Cowles,  English  and  History  ('82-'84,  Instructor) 1885 

1883  William  A.  Kellerrnan,  '83-'87,  Botany  and  Zoology;  '87-'91,  Botany  1891 

1883  David  E.  Lantz,  Mathematics 1897 

1883  B.  F.  Nihart,  '83-'85,  Mechanics  and  Engineering-;  '85-'86,  Instruc- 
tor in  Bookkeeping- 1886 

1881  Lieut.  W.  J.  Nicholson,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1887 

1885  Elias  B.  Cowgill,  Mechanics,  Physics,  and  Engineering  ('85-'86,  In- 
structor)    1887 

1885  Oscar  E.  Olin,  '85-'88,  English  and  History  ('85-'86,  Instructor);  '88-, 

English  Language  and  Literature 1898 

1886  Alexander  B.  Brown,  Music 1904 

1887  Ozni  P.  Hood,  Mechanics  and  Engineering  (,87-'89,  Instructor)...  1898 

1887  Lieut.  John  F.  Morrison,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1890 

1888  Robert  F.  Burleigh,  Physiology  and  Veterinary  Science 1889 

1888  Francis  H.  White,  History  and  Constitutional  Law  ('88-'89,  Instruc- 
tor)   1897 

1890  Charles  C.  Georgeson,  Agriculture 1897 

1890  Captain  Edwin  B.  Bolton,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1894 

1890  Ernest  R.  Nichols,   Physics,  Elected  Acting  President  in  '99   and 

President  in 1900 

1890  Nelson  S.  Mayo,  Physiology  and  Veterinary  Science,  '97,  reelected 

'0L ' 1905 

1891  Julius  T.  Willard,  Professor  of  Chemistry  ('83-'91,  Laboratory  As- 

sistant) ( '91-'97  Assistant  Professor) 

1891  Albert  S.  Hitchcock,   Botany 1901 

1892  Silas  C.  Mason.  Professor  of  Horticulture   ('88-'92,    Foreman  of 

Gardens  and  Orchards)  (Assistant  Professor,  '92-'94) 1897 

1894  Capfc.  H.  G.  Cavenaugh,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1897 

1894  Thomas  Elmer  Will,  Economics  and  Philosophy.  President  '97-'99  1899 
1897  Henry  M.  Cottrell,  Professor  of  Agriculture  ('88-'91  Assistant  in 

Agriculture) 1902 

1897  Edward  W.  Bemis,  Economic  Science 1899 

1897  George   Weida,    Pure  Chemistry  ( '99-'02,   Assistant  Professor    in 

Chemistry) 1902 

1897  Frank  Parsons,  History  and  Political  Science 1899 

1897  E.  E.  Faville.  Horticulture  and  Entomology 1899 

1897  Helen  Campbell,  Household  Economics 1898 

1897  Mary  F.  Winston,  Mathematics 1900 

1897  Ralph  Harrison,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1900 

1897  Fredric  Augustus  Metcalf,  Oratory 1901 

1897  Paul  Fisher,  Veterinary  Science 1901 

1898  Joseph  Harper,  Mechanical  Engineering 1901 

1898  Arnold  Emch,  Associate  Professor  of  Mathematics 1899 

1898  Frank  C.  Lockwood,  English 1901 

1899  Carl  Evans  Boyd,  History  and  Economics 1900 

1900  Charles  E.  Goodell,  History  and  Economics 1903 

1898  Minnie  Ava  Nellie  Sfconer,  Domestic  Science 1901 

1899  Septimus  Sisson,  Assistant  Professor  of  Veterinary  Science 1901 

1900  Benj.  F.  Eyer,  Physics  and  Electrical  Engineering 

1900  Benjamin  L.  Remick,  Mathematics 

1901  Mary  E.  Berry,  English 1902 

1901  Leon  W.  Hartman,  Physics  and  Electrical  Engineering 1903 

1901  Wilford  O.  McClure,  Oratory 1903 


KANSAS   STATE    AGRICULTURAL  COLLKGK 


223 


L901   William  A.  McKeever,  Philosophy 

L901  Edmund  l>.  McGormick,  Mechanical  Engineering,  Superintendent 
of  shops.     Elected  Dean  of  Engineering  School  in  L908 

L901  Daniel  H.  Otis,  Dairv  Husbandry,  Assistant  Professor  of  Dairy- 
ing in  1900-'01 " '. '.  .    L903 

1901  Edith  A.  Mclntyre,  Domestic  Science L903 

L901  Alice  Rupp,  Assistant,  Professor  English  ('91-'0I,  Assistant  Eng- 
lish)    L906 

L901  Herbert  P.  Roberts,  Botany 

L901  Josephine  C.    Harper,   Assistant  Professor  Mathematics  (,92-'01, 

Instructor  in  Mathematics) 1903 

L901   Edwin  H.  Webster,  '01-'03,  Assistant  Professor  Dairying,  Elected 

Director  Experiment  Station,  '08 


Veterinary  Science  Hall. 

1902  Albert  Dickens,  Horticulture  ('99- '02  Assistant) 

1902  Clark  M.  Brink,  English 

1902  Albert  M.  TenEyck,  Agriculture,  Superintendent  of  Farm,  Elected 

Dean  of  Agronomy  Course,  '08 

1902  Andrew  S.  Rowan,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1903 

1903  Charles  E.  Paull,  Assistant  Professor  Mechanical  Engineering 1904 

1903  Henrietta  W.  Calvin,  Domestic  Science  ('01- '03,  Librarian) 1908 

1903  Ralph  R.  Price,  History 

1903  Julius  E.   Kammeyer,   Public    Speaking    ('03- '05,   Economics    and 

Public  Speaking) 

1903  Oscar  Erf,  Dairying  and  Animal  Husbandry 1907 

1903  Pearl  M.  Shaffer,  Military  Science  and  Tactics .   1908 

1903  Clarence  L.  Barnes,  Assistant  Professor  Veterinary  Science 1908 

1903  John  O.  Hamilton,  Physics  ('98-'03,  Assistant  Professor  Physics). . . 

1905  F.  S.  Schoenleber,  Veterinary  Science  (Elected  in  February) 

1905  Roland  J.  Kinzer,  Animal  Husbandry  ('05-'07,  Assistant  Professor). 

1905  Andrey  A.  Potter,  Assistant  Professor  Mechanical  Engineering. . . 

1905  Robert  H.  Brown,  Assistant  Professor  Music 

1905  Flora  Rose,  Assistant  Professor  Domestic  Science 1906 

1905  John  V.  Cortelyou,  German 


224  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

1904  Olof  Valley,  Music 

1905  Oscar  H.  Halstead,  Assistant  Professor  Mathematics 1907 

1906  Roy  A.  Seaton,  Assistant  Professor  in  Mathematics,  became  In- 

structor of  Mechanical  Engineering-  in  1908 " 

1906  Benj.  R.  Ward,  Assistant  Professor  English 

1907  Walter  E.  King,  Bacteriology 

1907  Thomas  J.  Headlee,  Entomology 

1907  Chas.  H.  Boice,  Military  Science  and  Tactics 

1907  Geo.  A.  Dean,  Assistant  Professor  Entomology 

1907  Geo.  F.  Freeman,  Assistant  Professor  Botany 

1907  William  H.  Andrews,  Assistant  Professor  Mathematics 

1907  Leland  E.  Call,  Assistant  Professor  Soils 

1908  Mary  P.  VanZile,  Domestic  Science 

1908  Robert  E.   Eastman,  Assistant  Professor  Forestry  (Instructor  in 

Horticulture,  '06- '08) 

1908  L.  E.  Conrad,  Assistant  Professor  Civil  Engineering 

1908  K.  W.  Stouder,  Assistant  Professor  Veterinary  Science 

LIBRARIANS. 

1867  J.  H.  Lee 1869 

1869  J.  S.  Hougham 1871 

1871  J.  H.  Lee 1873 

1873  J.  S.  Whitman 1875 

1875  M.  L.  Ward. 1882 

1882  J.  D.  Walters 1883 

1883  W.  H.  Cowles 1885 

1885  B.  F.  Neihart 1886 

1886  D.  E.  Lantz 1897 

1897  Helen  J.  Westcott 1899 

1899  Josephine  T.  Berry 1901 

1901  Mrs.  Henrietta  (Willard)  Calvin 1903 

1903  Margaret  J.  Minis 1907 

1907  Anne  M.  Boyd 1908 

1908  Gertrude  Barnes  (Assistant  Librarian,  1900-'08) 

SUPERINTENDENTS,  PRINCIPALS ,    DIRECTORS,  INSTRUCTORS. 

Officers  classed   in  this  paragraph  who   advanced  to  professorships  are 
enumerated  in  the  list  of  professors. 

1863  Ella  C.  Beckwith,  Instructor  in  Instrumental  Music 1864 

1866  Laura  C.  Lee,  Instructor  in  Instrumental  Music 1868 

1868  Emily  M.  Campbell,  Instructor  in  Instrumental  Music 1869 

1869  Hattie  V.  Werden,  Instructor  in  Instrumental  Music 1877 

1870  Lizzie  J.  Williams,  Instructor  in  Drawing '. .  1876 

1870  Fred  E.  Miller,  Superintendent  of  Farm 1874 

1871  Ambrose  Todd,  Superintendent  of  Shops 1878 

1872  Jennie  Detmers,  Instructor  in  Chemistry  and  German 1873 

1873  Frank  C.  Jackson,  Instructor  in  Telegraphy 1874 

1874  Walter  C.  Stewart,  Instructor  in  Telegraphy 1879 

1874  A.  A.  Stewart,  Instructor  in  Printing 1881 

1874  Mrs    H.  C.  Cheseldine,  Instructor  in  Sewing 1875 

1875  Mary  E.  Cripps,  Instructor  in  Household  Economy 1882 

1875  Mary  L.  Ward,  Instructor  in  French  and  German 1876 

1876  Ella  M.  Gale-Kedzie,  Instructor  in  Drawing 1877 


KANSAS  STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE  225 

lSTti  Barry  P.  McFarland,  [nstruotor  In  Meteorology 1876 

LS77  Carrie  Steele,   Instructor  in  instrumental    Music L878 

1879  Ira  I),  (ira ham,  Superintendent  <>r  Telegraphy L891 

L878  Timotheus  T.  Hawkes,  Superintendent  of  Shops L886 

1881   Geo.  F.  Thompson,  Superintendent  of  Printing 1887 

L884  Eli  da  E.  Winohip,  Superintendent  of  Sewing L891 

1887  John  S.  C.  Thompson,  Superintendent  of  Printing 1897 

L893  Howard  M.  Jones,  Instructor  in  Rhetoricals 1894 

L897  Chas.  S.  Davis,  Superintendent  of  Printing L899 

1897  Harriet  Howell,  Superintendent  of  Sewing 1901 

1899  Joshua  D.  Rickman,  Superintendent  of  Printing 

1900  Florence  Ball,  Director  of  Physical  Training 1901 

1900  Benj.  S.  McFarland,  Principal  of  Preparatory  Department 1907 

1900  Chas.  Eastman,  Instructor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics 1901 

1901  Gertrude  Williams,  Director  of  Physical  Training 1902 

1902  Mrs.  Edith  N.  Clure,  Director  of  Physical  Training 1903 

1903  Estella  M.  Fearon,  Director  of  Physical  Training 1904 

1903  Marian  Jones,  Superintendent  Domestic  Art 1904 

1904  Ada  Rice,  Instructor  in  English 

1904  Frances  M.  Barnes,  Superintendent  of  Sewing 1905 

1904  Marguerite  Barbour,  Director  of  Physical  Training 

1904  Jacob  Lund,  Superintendent  of  Heat  and  Power,  Foreman  since 

1894 

1904  Walter  E.  Mathewson,  Instructor  in  Chemistry 1906 

1905  John  H.  Miller,  Superintendent  of  Farmers'  Institutes 

1905  Frank  M.  McClenahan,  Instructor  in  Chemistry 

1906  Antonetta  Becker,  Superintendent  of  Domestic  Art 

1906  Leonard  W.  Goss,  Instructor  in  Veterinary  Science 

1906  Daisy  Zeininger,  Instructor  in  Mathematics 

1906  Ula  M.  Dow,  Instructor  in  Domestic  Science 

1906  Charles  W.  Burkett,  Director  of  Experiment  Station 1908 

1906  Theo.  H.  Scheffer,  Instructor  in  Zoology 

1906  Robert  E.  Eastman,  Instructor  in  Horticulture 

1907  John  B.  Wheelan,  Instructor  in  Chemistry 

1907  Herbert  H.  King,  Instructor  in  Chemistry 

1907  Robert  J.  Barnett,  Principal  of  Preparatory  Department 

1908  Louis  H.  Beall,  Instructor  in  English 

1908  Ed.  H.  Webster,  Director  of  Experiment  Station 

1908  Ella  Weeks,  Instructor  in  Drawing  ('03-'08  Assistant) 

ANNUAL   ADDRESSES. 

Hon.  John  J.  Ingalls,  Atchison 1873 

Hon.  T.  Dwight  Thacher,  Lawrence 1874 

M  r.  Noble  L.  Prentis,  Atchison 1875 

Hon.  J.  K.  Hudson,  Topeka 1876 

Hon.  J.  R.  Hallowell,  Columbus 1878 

Hon.  S.  O.  Thacher,  Lawrence  1880 

Hon.  S.  S.  Benedict,  Guilford 1881 

Judge  James  Humphrey,  Junction  City 1883 

Hon.  George  R.  Peck,  Topeka 1884 

Rev.  A.  D.  Mayo,  Boston,  Mass 1885 

Hon.  T.  Dwight  Thacher,  Topeka 1886 


226  KANSAS   STATE   AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE 

Hon.  Edwin  Willits,  Lansing-,  Mich 1887 

Prof.  H.  A.  Burrili,  Washington,  Iowa . .  1888 

Hon.  N.  C.  McFarland,  Topeka 1889 

Mr.  E.  E.  White,  Cincinnati,  Ohio , 1890 

Prof.  J.  M.  Greenwood,  Kansas  City,  Mo 1891 

Hon.  C.  G.  Luce,  Coldwater,  Mich 1892 

Prof.  S.  W.  Williston,  K.  U.,  Lawrence 1893 

Prof.  Hamlin  Garland,  Chicago,  111 1894 

Dr.  F.  W.  Gunsaulus,  Chicago,  111 1895 

Hon.  Eugene  F.  Ware,  Topeka 1896 

Dr.  Washington  Gladden,  Columbus,  Ohio 1897 

Prof.  Geo.  D.  Herron,  Grinell  College,  Iowa 1898 

Rev.  Benjamin  Fay  Mills,  Boston,  Mass 1899 

Hon.  James  Wilson,  United  States  Secretary  of  Agriculture 1900 

Pres.  A.  R.  Taylor,  Kansas  State  Normal  School 1901 

Pres.  W.  M.  Beardshear,  Ames,  Iowa 1902 

Rev.  Thos.  E.  Green,  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa 1903 

Pres.  W.  O.  Thompson,  Ohio  State  University 1904 

Gov.  Ed.  Hoch,  Topeka 1905 

Prof.  Edwin  Erie  Sparks,  University  of  Chicago. 1906 

Prof.  John  Hamilton,  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. . .  1907 

Prof.  Albion  W.  Small,  University  of  Chicago 1908 

Prof.  Shailer  Mathews,  University  of  Chicago 1909 


THE  END. 


